Montgomery County Approves Rayford Road Expansion

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Montgomery County Approves Rayford Road Expansion to Six Lanes East of Union Pacific Tracks

Published by The Editor on Thu, 10/09/2014 – 13:11

THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS (October 9, 2014) For drivers on southeast Montgomery County’s Rayford Road, relief is on the horizon. Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack has kicked off plans to expand Rayford Road from four to six lanes, with engineering design beginning in early 2016.

The Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court approved the contract for the expansion on Oct. 6. Commissioner Noack’s office has contracted with Klotz and Associates of Houston, for the engineering and design phase of the project. The scope of the expansion will widen the road from the Union Pacific train tracks to what is now Riley Fuzzel—what in the future will be the Grand Parkway—as well as to build a bridge to bypass the railroad tracks. The engineering design will be 100 percent funded by Montgomery County.

“With talk of an upcoming road bond, this project is at the top of my list,” Noack said. “Increasing mobility in our precinct is one of our top goals.”

The segment of Rayford Road from the Union Pacific tracks to Riley Fuzzel was widened from a two- to a four-lane road in 2007, but continued residential and commercial development have caused growing congestion problems on the thoroughfare. Rayford Road was expanded to six lanes from I-45 to the railroad tracks in 2006, and the proposed construction will continue that progress east, past the popular Imperial Oaks and Spring Trails developments.

“The Rayford Road expansion and the construction of the Grand Parkway will go hand in hand to provide a lot of relief in the area,” says David Balmos, vice president of transportation at Klotz and Associates. “We have two huge constraints, between Spring Creek and the San Jacinto River. That’s just geography—the area is pinched between two rivers, which makes other access points complicated. The biggest challenge of the project is to construct these improvements without impacting traffic that’s there today. ”

The Commissioner’s Office and Klotz and Associates are committed to ensuring that four lanes of traffic remain open during the road expansion, given that Rayford Road is the main artery in and out of the area. The expansion will also replace the current drainage system along Rayford Road from roadside ditches to underground storm sewer drains. This will minimize the amount of right-of-way purchases necessary to widen the road. The engineering plan will evaluate whether it is possible to build a six-lane bridge over the railroad tracks, or if the impact will be too great and only a four-lane bridge will be possible. Engineering and planning will take around 16 months.

“I live in Bender’s Landing and Rayford Road is our only outlet to I-45. On a busy day, it can take 25 to 30 minutes just to get to the highway,” says Penny Benbow. “This would mean a lot to us. It is so important that Rayford Road gets widened. I appreciate Commissioner Noack’s concern for residents on the east side of I-45.”

Additionally, the project will upgrade traffic signals hanging from wires and replace them with more modern mast-arm signals that will be timed for efficiency.

For more information on Commission James Noack and Precinct 3, visit www.precinct3.org .

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