Montgomery County officials push road bond package
fROM the Houston Chronicle By John D. Harden | April 4, 2015
With early voting approaching, leaders in Montgomery County are pounding the pavement by hosting a series of forums to discuss a $350 million bond package that would bring road improvements to the fast-growing region.
At a forum Thursday, more than 300 residents and community leaders debated the merits of the bond, especially the controversial extension of Woodlands Parkway about six miles west to State Highway 249. The forum, the first of several being held in coming weeks, pitted County Judge Craig Doyal and road bond committee members Nelda Blair and Joe Michelsagainst former state Rep. Steve Toth and engineersLaura Fillault and Ken Vaughn.
County resident Clare Stark was on the fence about how to vote.
“I’m not sure who to believe or where to get the most accurate information,” she said. “I haven’t heard one person say that the other side is wrong. It seems like this is about trying to pick the lesser poison.”
Much of the tension stems from the proposed extension of Woodlands Parkway, a measure that more than 4,600 people have opposed in an online petition started by Gordy Bunch, who sits on The Woodlands Township board of directors.
In protest, Bunch quit the road bond committee that was tasked with developing the list of projects to be placed on the ballot. He wanted the parkway extension removed, saying residents should not have to pay for more traffic when $1.6 billion in other road projects can be completed.
While some claim the opposition goes beyond the Woodlands Parkway extension, many said in early March that they would support the bond if county commissioners removed it from the list.
“To say that this isn’t about one road is talking out two sides of your mouth,” Michels said.
Last year, two traffic impact studies were done on the impact the proposed extension could have on the area. Though slightly different, both studies concluded that any extension of the road would increase traffic.
That conclusion doesn’t sit well with residents in The Woodlands, who say they already spend more than enough time waiting in traffic and who worry their quiet neighborhoods will be overrun with vehicles.
Fillault, who opposes the bond, is an industrial engineer and analyzed the two studies. She concluded that the extension of Woodlands Parkway could increase wait times at traffic lights by seven minutes during peak periods.
“Bottom line, there will be an increase in traffic,” she said. “I’m voting no on the bond because it is a patchwork of fixes and patchwork fixes are not mobility. We need a county-wide plan.”
She also echoed several residents who said that the county should focus on improving existing roads rather than building new roadways.
Doyal said the county needs to prepare to reach a projected 1 million residents in the next two decades.
“Imagine all of the subdivisions in your neighborhood and double that,” he said. “As a representative for the entire county, I have to look out for the entire county. There are 77 projects on the bond, and there’s a desperate need for each one.”
In Montgomery County’s Thoroughfare Plan, which is available on the county’s and area council’s websites, Woodlands Parkway will someday extend to Texas 249. Some residents, however, say that the work can be postponed in favor of more important projects. They worry that Doyal is backing developers rather than constituents.
Some planning officials say the arguments come down to how each side interprets the traffic impact study.
Alan Clark, Houston-Galveston Area Council director of transportation, acknowledged that the data can be interpreted many ways. The council found that the extension of the parkway west to Texas 249 in Pinehurst would decrease traffic on several roads in and around The Woodlands, including Kuykendahl, Gosling, Branch Crossing, Research Forest, FM 2978 and FM 1488, he said
“Will things get better? It depends on where you are and where you’re going,” he said. “For some, things will get a lot better (if it’s extended.)”
Some observers say a root of the problem comes from the lack of centralized coordination between local government entities.
The Woodlands Township, not a city, is at odds with the goals and policy priorities of county government precincts, said Gary Brown, Lone Star College government professor.
“The county wants better transportation mobility, as it should, while The Woodlands has a vested interest in limiting traffic congestion at the behest of its beleaguered residents,” he said.
The Woodlands Township and Montgomery County should already be at work on Plan B, he said.
Early voting begins April 27 and runs through May 5. Election Day is May 9.
