Planning for expansion of Kuykendahl Bridge begins

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - Motorists can raise a cheer as the planning of a the Kuykendahl bridge expansion has begun.

Working together, Precinct 3 Comissioner James Noack, The Woodlands Road Utility District 1, and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle have formed a consensus that the time is right for the expansion of this key artery. The construction of an entirely new two-lane bridge to the west of the existing Kuykendahl bridge will ease congestion between Southern Montgomery County and Northern Harris County.

“With the continued development in The Woodlands, Montgomery County and Harris County, as well the the number of cars traveling this route every day and the Grand Parkway coming on fast and furious, this will be a major reliever route for roads in the area,” Noack says. The counties are dividing up the cost of the project based on the length of the bridge within each jurisdiction.

LJA Engineering has begun to evaluate the span between the two counties and to conduct environmental work, a process that is expected to take six months. Once the counties get the go-ahead, construction will get underway, without disrupting traffic on the existing bridge. Noack anticipates that the entire project will be complete in late 2016, with two lanes of southbound traffic on one span and two lanes of northbound traffic on the other. Montgomery County will not need to raise additional funds for the project.

“The Kuykendahl bridge expansion is very important for The Woodlands, and it is reflective of the planning of The Woodlands that the right of way for the expansion has already been taken care of,” says Alex Sutton, co-president of The Woodlands Development Co. “We are happy to see it coming, we provided the land for it, and we’re excited that Commissioner Noack and other governmental representatives are on board.”