South County Mobility and Transportation Planning Initiatives-UPDATE

The Woodlands Township and South Montgomery County is one of the fastest growing residential and employment centers in the greater Houston-Galveston region. Improved mobility is critical to this continued growth and to assure that such growth does not adversely impact our quality of life. In order to compete for scarce State and Federal transportation funds, it is critical that we develop actionable plans that can be integrated into the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) managed by the Houston Galveston Area Council (H-GAC).

To this end there will be two major planning initiatives launched in October 2013 (see below). H-GAC is in the process as we speak finalizing the contracts with each of the Firms that will handle each of the two studies.

The South Montgomery County Mobility Plan will be a comprehensive transportation study that will identify existing and future roadway needs, including improved pedestrian  paths, bicycle paths, signalization and intersection design,  based on our changing land use and growth scenarios.  A prioritized list of projects will be developed that reflects the most likely and preferred scenarios for future development. The findings of this study will guide short, medium and long-range transportation investment within the study area region.

Sponsoring entities for this project include: Montgomery County Precinct 3, The Woodlands Township, The Woodlands Road Utility District #1, City of Shenandoah and Oakridge North. Brown and Gay Engineers will be the lead consulting firm.

The Woodlands Transit and Town Center Mobility Plan will be a comprehensive transit study that will determine existing and future transit needs for The Woodlands Township region, including its Town Center. The study will evaluate transit modes like local buses, vanpools, car pools, park and ride services, bus rapid transit and light rail; as well as other strategies to address mobility including intelligent transportation systems; pedestrian and bicycle networks; and other transportation strategies. The study shall conclude with a prioritized list of recommended improvements and tiered implementation strategies and policy recommendations with an emphasis on the transit mode of transportation.

The Woodlands Township is the sole sponsor for this study. Steer Davies Gleave will be the lead consulting firm.

The study effort will encompass the area bounded by FM 1488, FM 2978, the Grand Parkway and the San Jacinto River. These initiatives will be 9-12 month efforts and involve a significant public outreach effort. It will be critical that residents and business take advantage of these outreach efforts to make their needs known.