Precinct 3 Gosling Road Bridge project receives Project Excellence Award

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The American Concrete Institute Houston Chapter recently presented its Project Excellence Award in Infrastructure to Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack and other partners for the exceptional work on the Gosling Road Bridge Project.

The honor was announced during the ACI Houston 2024 Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet Thursday, Feb. 1. Commissioner Noack collaborated with Harris County Commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey to complete the project.

The Calvin T. Ladner Memorial Bridge is a 1,817-foot bridge crossing over Spring Creek. It was completed in December 2022 and provided two southbound lanes as part of the Gosling Road widening project.

The construction project widened Gosling Road from two lanes to a four-lane boulevard between Gatewood Reserve Lane on the north side of the project in Montgomery County and Creekside Forest Drive in Harris County.

It created two 12-foot lanes in each direction, with the existing bridge becoming the two northbound lanes. The new southbound bridge has a safety walkway for motorists to access in case of vehicle breakdown. It also includes additional stormwater detention on the north side of the project that drains into Spring Creek, as well as improved traffic signalization at The Woodlands Fire Station No. 8.

The bridge serves as a vital link in regional infrastructure, facilitating connectivity and enhancing accessibility for commuters.

“The Gosling Bridge and road-widening project is another great example of the Precinct 3 Commissioner’s Office collaborating with other governmental entities and community leaders to enhance mobility and safety for our residents,” Commissioner Noack said. “This is the type of leadership and accountability necessary to continue providing infrastructure improvements that protect and enhance the quality of life in Precinct 3.”

This stretch of Gosling Road was identified as overcapacity for vehicles in the South Montgomery County Mobility Study, which was initiated by Commissioner Noack and has become the standard for mobility studies in Montgomery County. The study recommended widening Gosling Road and constructing the bridge to provide an improved north-south corridor, a safer roadway and help alleviate traffic congestion.

Commissioner Noack put together a steering committee for the study that included stakeholders from The Woodlands, cities of Oak Ridge North and Shenandoah, Rayford Road corridor, Texas Department of Transportation, Houston-Galveston Area Council, Harris and Montgomery counties. His leadership on this study showed the ability to work across governmental lines, providing a transparent mobility plan and accountability to his constituents.

Montgomery County Precinct 3 funded $4 million of the $8.2 million Gosling Road project. The project falls within the boundaries of The Woodlands on both sides of the county line.

A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony in December 2022 honored Calvin T. Ladner, P.E., former president of LJA Engineering, which designed the bridge. Ladner, whose first project as an engineer with a small firm in 1982 was to work on a “new” master-planned community called The Woodlands, passed away in August 2020. He was instrumental in the development of The Woodlands in the 1980s, and as the founder and leader of LJA Engineering for more than three decades.

The general contractor for the project was NBG Constructors, with Geoscience Engineering & Testing Inc. handling the materials testing. The concrete suppliers were Campbell Concrete and Allied Concrete.