Loop 494 construction to last 25 months

: Written by David Tatchin; Published: 28 June 2019

This intersection will be vastly improved.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) construction project on Loop 494 began June 26 at a cost of $14,347,428.72, which was awarded to ISI Contracting, Inc.

The project, according to Emily Black, public information officer for the TxDOT-Houston District, will take “25 months to complete.” Additionally, Black said that the project has the potential for lane closures during the day, seven days a week, typically from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This construction project, as noted by Black, was developed in order to “meet the needs of a fast-growing portion of both the South Montgomery and North Harris counties, increasing mobility in both of the aforementioned areas.”

*The red segment of this rendering represents the area of Loop 494 which will be under construction over the next 25 months.*

- Necessary project will create headaches for drivers -

The starting location of the construction is “located at SL 494, which is .547 miles north of Kingwood Drive and the project will extend to a point slightly north of the southern section of Sorters McClellan Road,” said Black. “The project will reconstruct and widen the roadway to a four-lane divided highway.”

Currently, 494 only has two lanes available northbound and one southbound on a road that is used daily by Kingwood commuters, often generating traffic jams. Black said that the results of the construction will include a “continuous left-turn lane from Kingwood Drive to Crescent Springs Drive and a raised median from Crescent Springs Drive to Sorters-McClellan Road. The project will include reconstruction of the Kingwood intersection; it will elevate the intersection in order to remove the sudden dip at the railroad tracks and the project will build sidewalks adjacent to developed areas.”

The “Proposed Typical Section” graphic depicts the intended result of the project, which will feature two sets of northbound, southbound and left-turning lanes on the roads that will undergo construction.

The construction will therefore expand the road between Kingwood Drive and Crescent Springs Drive to include two southbound and northbound lanes each, as well as a two continuous left-turning lanes (refer to the graphic above). The construction will also result in two sets of northbound and southbound lanes and a left-turning lane between Crescent Springs Drive and Sorters-McClellan Road.

The renovation of the Kingwood intersection, as noted by Black, will restructure the notorious dip that is experienced by drivers after they cross the railroad tracks when they head eastbound on Kingwood Drive. These renovations will seek to improve the everyday commuting experience of Kingwood residents.

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