Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler announces road projects and travel impacts

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The office of Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler has announced five upcoming road projects in the area that will have an impact on traffic for motorists and residents.

Starting on Tuesday, May 26, crews will be extending the eastbound left-turn lane at the I-45 frontage road, resulting in an improvement in the eastbound and eastbound-to-northbound traffic flow on Sawdust Road through the I-45 intersection. This project is scheduled to be completed a week after commencement, weather permitting. The traffic impact will include daily lane closures and traffic delays.

Starting on the same day, crews will be working on improving the intersection at Rayford Road-Discovery Creek/Harmony Landing Drive. They will be adding left-turn lanes in both directions on Rayford Road turning onto Discovery Creek and Harmony Land, as well as signalizing the intersection for vehicles and pedestrians and adding crosswalk striping. This project is designed to continue mobility and safety improvements for motorists and pedestrians along the Rayford Road corridor. The pavement and pedestrian ramp work is scheduled to take 3 - 4 weeks, and signal installation is scheduled for mid-July when all of the equipment arrives. The traffic impact will include daily lane closures and traffic delays.

Starting the week of May 26 with temporary signal installation and old signal equipment removal, crews will work on Grogan’s Mill Road-North Millbend Drive Intersection redesign and traffic signal relocation and upgrades. This project will see the intersection island removal and pavement replacement starting the first week of June. New signal equipment is scheduled to arrive in September to replace the temporary signal equipment. This redesign will improve safety at the intersection, especially for turn-lane movements and traffic flow through the it. The upgraded signal equipment and technology will provide better reliability for infrastructure and equipment functionality. The temporary signal installation is slated to take a week, and the intersection pavement replacement will take 3 - 4 weeks. There is expected to be a major traffic impact. The intersection will be closed to left-turn lane movements in all directions and through traffic on North Millbend crossing Grogan’s Mill Road. Traffic will be detoured to the north and south for u-turns. North-South Grogan’s Mill Road thru-traffic will have minor impacts.

Also starting the week of May 26, crews will be replacing concrete pavement failures in the roadway of Research Forest Drive with ongoing overnight work along the inside shoulder between Kuykendahl Road and Interstate 45. This will be an all-summer project with lane closures and traffic delays at the locations of repairs.

Another project lasting all summer is the Woodlands Parkway asphalt shoulder replacement, where crews will be replacing the old failed four-foot asphalt shoulders. The traffic impact will mainly affect nighttime drivers, as the lane closures will be overnight only.

Stay tuned to Woodlands Online for traffic and roadwork updates.