WHAT ARE ROAD BONDS   FINANCE    EXTENDING WOODLANDS PARKWAY   YOUR VOTE MATTERS

The FACTS About Road Bonds

ROAD BOND 101

Q:      What are Road Bonds?  Government-issued securities payable over time and commonly used for more expensive major roadway improvements.

 Q:      Why does Montgomery County need Road Bonds?  Our County budgets for normal wear and tear, but we need major road upgrades that are much more expensive.  Like most families, governments commonly pay for major projects over time, similar to a home purchase payable through a mortgage. In this way, the County can address our immediate critical transportation needs without increasing our taxes.

Q:      How much are the Road Bond projects?  $350 million will fund our highest priority road projects with NO TAX INCREASE.

Q:      Will Road Bonds increase my taxes?  NO. These Road Bonds will be issued with NO TAX INCREASE based on conservative evaluations of our County’s current and future economic growth.

Q:      What projects will the Road Bonds fund?  A total of 77 priority road projects benefiting all parts of Montgomery County. Click here to find a project near you.

Q:      How did we get 77 projects?  A citizens committee reviewed over 100 needed countywide projects, ultimately deciding on 77 as priorities, at a total value which would not require a tax increase.

Q:      How do we know these project lists will be followed?  All four Commissioners have committed to the completion of these projects. Each Commissioner’s Precinct project list was analyzed by a citizen’s committee, placed on the public meeting agenda, opened for public comment, then unanimously accepted by Commissioners Court.  Click here to find a project near you.

Q:      Will the 77 Road Bond projects help with traffic problems and deteriorated roads?  YES. Road Bonds reduce traffic congestion by widening overcrowded roads (like Rayford Rd. and Hwy. 105 East), and pay for major roadway upgrades and new thoroughfares; all of which help drivers to keep moving!

Q:      Will the Road Bonds create more toll roads?  No. NONE of the 77 projects in these Road Bonds are toll roads.

FINANCE AND FUNDING

Q:      If there is no tax increase, how will the County re-pay these Road Bonds?  Growth in our County expands the tax base, so road bonds will be paid over several years from future tax revenues at the current tax rate, without raising taxes.  

Q:      How are the Road Bond funds allocated?  Precinct 1 (generally northern Montgomery County): $80 million; Precinct 2 (generally western Montgomery County):  $80 million; Precinct 3 (generally southern Montgomery County):  $105 million; Precinct 4 (generally eastern Montgomery County):   $85 million.   Click here to see project lists for each Precinct.

Q:      Will all of the bonds be issued at once?  A:      No. Passage of these Road Bonds simply authorizes the County to sell the bonds and use the proceeds to construct each road project as it becomes “shovel-ready”.

Q:      Why do we need a Road Bond election now?  Voters approved a $160 million road bond package in 2005, yet a $200 million road bond in 2011 failed in the wake of some of the same opposition we see today.  No new bonds have been approved in the last 10 years to meet our additional explosive growth. We need Road Bonds now in order to catch up and keep up.

EXTENDING WOODLANDS PARKWAY – FM 2978 TO HIGHWAY 249

Q:      Do we need to extend Woodlands Parkway? Are there better options?  The western portion of Montgomery County is growing quickly, and families need better options to travel between the East and West parts. This 6.6 mile extension will provide The Woodlands with more direct access to the new Grand Parkway, Austin, and even Texas A&M. Other options, like existing Hardin Store Road, will cost millions more than this project, displace many long-time families from their homes, and require even more funds to widen FM 2978.

Q:      Can opposition against 1 project like the Woodlands Parkway extension cause all 77 projects to fail? Yes. These Road Bonds will be a single item on the ballot. We have the choice to vote either “FOR” or “AGAINST” the entire Bond.  We cannot let inflammatory claims and misused study statistics replace thoughtful judgment on the value of 77 sorely needed countywide roadway projects. The facts show that the extension of Woodlands Parkway will be an important benefit, both inside and outside The Woodlands, and will not cause the trauma or drama opponents imagine. In addition, we have a rational, hard-working and compassionate Precinct 2 Commissioner who has publicly stated in a letter to The Woodlands Township Board, “before the first spade of dirt is ever turned, I will be coordinating with leaders of the Township to ensure the timing of this project is appropriate and fits the overall transportation needs of all our communities.”

Q:      If the Road Bonds pass, when will the Woodlands Parkway extension happen?  While documents showing right of way acquisition and detailed mapping plans on the Woodlands Parkway extension date back for many years, engineering, architectural design and land preparation are still required before actual construction of a road can begin. The Precinct 2 Commissioner has publicly stated that it will take at least a year, probably more, to start physical work at the site.   

Q:      Will Woodlands Parkway really become another FM 1960?  No. That comparison is simply unrealistic. Woodlands Parkway is over 90% residential with heavily wooded medians and homes nestled behind trees. FM 1960 is 98% commercial and has no median and no greenbelt.  Developer George Mitchell designed Woodlands Parkway as an East/West residential connector, and even maps from the 1990’s show this planned extension. In addition, two years ago, FM 1960 had 50,000 cars per day. Ten years from today, in 2025, the extended Woodlands Parkway will average only 33,000 cars per day.  Most importantly, The Woodlands is Mitchell’s master-planned community with strict covenants enforced by The Woodlands Township Board. FM 1960 has no zoning or deed restrictions. So, only if the Township Board fails to enforce covenants will Woodlands Parkway become another FM 1960.

Q:      Will the intersections at Woodlands Parkway and Kuykendahl become a parking lot if Woodlands Parkway is extended?  No. The facts are: Total traffic at that intersection in ten years will increase by only 7%, and we will wait only 16 seconds longer at the traffic light, even during rush hour. The vast majority of the new cars from the extension will leave Woodlands Parkway before they ever reach Kuykendahl. With the extension, Woodlands Parkway will not reach its maximum capacity until 2025, and it will reach 94% of its capacity by 2025 even without the extension, providing plenty of time to plan for its widening. These are facts from the very studies the Road Bond opponents cite.

Q:      Will the extension of Woodlands Parkway “divide The Woodlands in half”?  No. In fact, it will provide the western portion of The Woodlands with much better mobility for everyday driving and for essential services like school buses, emergency vehicles and hurricane evacuation. Woodlands Parkway currently extends from the eastern to the western borders of The Woodlands, I-45 to FM 2978. It connects The Woodlands villages and provides our families with convenient access to shopping, dining, schools, and daily activities.

Q:      Should developers pay for the Woodlands Parkway extension?  Yes, and they are. As was true with development of The Woodlands, the major developers along the Woodlands Parkway extension have already agreed to donate the necessary land right of way, and to help build the roads needed for future developments.

YOUR VOTE MATTERS

Q:      What would happen if we did not pass these Road Bonds?  Quite simply, the loss of these Road Bonds would prevent ALL 77 countywide projects from being built.  We would lose matching funds from Harris County and the state of Texas that would help pay for some projects. Drivers would face increasingly heavy traffic, gridlock, excruciating travel times, and overburdened roadways as more people continue to move here. Our quality of life would definitely suffer. 

Q:      Why should I vote for Road Bonds?‎  Because it is good for our community.‎ Because we must work together to alleviate unwarranted fears about Woodlands Parkway, and aggressively address serious shortages in our transportation system. Because we are in dire need of the 77 road projects, none of which will happen if we do not vote for these Road Bonds.  We cannot afford to rank at the bottom of the list in Texas for our ability to be mobile.

Q:      Who else supports the Road Bonds?  Your community leaders like State Representative Cecil Bell, State Representative Mark Keough, former State Senator Tommy Williams, Sheriff Tommy Gage, former County Judge Alan “Barb” Sadler, former Tax Assessor-Collector J. R. Moore, Jr., The Woodlands Township Chairman Bruce Tough, former The Woodlands Township Chairman Nelda Luce Blair, Mayor of Shenandoah Gary Watts, Mayor of Oak Ridge North Jim Kuykendall, Mayor of Panorama Village Howard Kravetz, Mayor of Conroe Webb Melder, and a large percentage of your neighbors, friends and co-workers around the County.

Q:      Which community groups have endorsed FOR the Road Bonds?  North Houston Association; The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce; Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce; Houston Association of Realtors Board of Directors; Greater East Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce; Texas Conservative Tea Party Coalition; Greater Magnolia Chamber of Commerce; The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership; City of Shenandoah.

Keep Montgomery County Moving!    Vote FOR Road Bonds on Saturday, May 9th.