Construction date projected for roughly $76.2M Kingwood mobility project
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin joined officials from the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, also known as Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 10, at an April 13 groundbreaking ceremony for the Northpark Drive overpass project in Kingwood. (Wesley Gardner/Community Impact)
Construction on the Northpark Drive overpass project in Kingwood is projected to begin April 23 following an April 13 groundbreaking ceremony for the long-awaited project that was first proposed in 2015.
Project details: According to officials with the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, also known as Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 10, the roughly $76.2 million project will:
- Expand Northpark Drive from four to six lanes between Hwy. 59 and Russell Palmer Road;
- Add an overpass over the Union Pacific Corp. railroad tracks and Loop 494; and
- Create an additional evacuation route in and out of Kingwood.
Quote of note: “The cost [of the Northpark Drive overpass project] has escalated tremendously, not only because of the materials, but because of what happened during Hurricane Harvey,” Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin said. “[Kingwood] became an island. We couldn’t get people out. We couldn’t get Red Cross in here, so one of the things that [Mayor Sylvester Turner] charged us with doing was build a new evacuation road. The Northpark Drive overpass project will provide a tremendous amount of safety.”
Project benefits: Once completed, LHRA officials said the Northpark Drive overpass project will:
- Decrease traffic delays and travel time;
- Elevate Northpark Drive over the 500-year floodplain;
- Increase drainage capacity; and
- Include the installation of amenity ponds near Hwy. 59, landscaping improvements, corridor lighting and pedestrian sidewalks.
Project background: The Northpark Drive overpass project was first proposed following the completion of the 2015 Kingwood Area Mobility Study. According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s 2022 Most Congested Roadways in Texas report, Northpark Drive from Sorters McClellan Road to Mills Branch Drive ranked as the 114th most-congested roadway in the state.
The project was initially projected to cost around $52 million, but officials said inflation and supply-chain issues have driven up the cost. Officials noted the city of Houston is contributing roughly $9.5 million toward the project, with TIRZ 10 picking up the remainder of the bill.
By Wesley Gardner
1:39 PM Apr 13, 2023 CDT
Updated 1:39 PM Apr 13, 2023 CDT
Reporter, Lake Houston-Humble-Kingwood
Wesley joined Community Impact in May 2021 after graduating from St. Edwards University with a degree in mass communication in 2012. He covers education, local government, transportation, real estate development and nonprofits in the Lake Houston-Humble-Kingwood area. Prior to joining CI, Wesley served as the editor of the Lockhart Post Register and as a reporter for the Bastrop Advertiser and Fort Bend Herald.
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