Mobility bond to spend $31 million in Katy road projects
By Nick Georgandis
Managing Editor
Published:
Thursday, April 12, 2007 12:16 PM CDT
On May 12, voters in Fort Bend County will go to the polls to address
a $153.2 million mobility bond that if passed will commence construction on
47 projects including five that directly affect the greater Katy area.
Walt Sass, a representative of Fort Bend County Commisioner Andy Meyers'
office, addressed the upcoming election Tuesday morning to a host of Katy
business leaders.
“The money from our 2000 bond is exhausted,” Stass said.
“All the authorized bonds have been sold.”
The 2000 bond election included a $140 million bond for tollways and
another $86 million for general projects.
Of the projects on the 2000 bond, 14 were completed, eight are under
construction and 14 more have their engineering complete.
The first of five projects that directly affect the Katy area begins at the
corner of Greenbusch and Westheimer Parkway near Rylander Elementary.
The project will widen the street to four lanes with concrete curb and
gutter all the way to Pin Oak.
The second project will be the widening of Katy-Flewellen Rd. from two lanes
to four from Pin Oak Rd. to Gaston Rd.
The third project will be expansion of Gaston Rd. from FM 1093 to Cinco
Ranch Blvd.
Fourth on the list is the expansion of Falcon Landing Blvd. west from
its location near Ryland Elementary to becoming a major thoroughfare as it
passes over the nearby bayou with a bridge to be built all the way to Gaston
Rd.
The final project is a joint operation by Fort Bend County and the City of
Katy which will cost around $1 million and will see the extension of
Kingsland Blvd. through the WoodCreek Reserve subdivision and eventually
connecting it to FM 1463.
“All of these projects are consistent with the major thoroughfare plans,”
KISD architect Peter McElwain, one of the project's committee members said
on Tuesday.
“We feel this is a major step in catching up with the growing number of
people that are coming into Fort Bend County every year. Right now there is
a real lack of safety driving on two-lane roads with deep ditches.”
A complete list of all 47 propose projects appears on kfbm.net, a Web site
that is promoting the bond's passing.
All 47 projects are expected to be completed within a five-year time frame,
according to Fort Bend County officials.
Sass said the passage of the bond would raise county tax rates by less than
two cents and that cost would be diluted over time as more and more people
move to the county.
According to a county report, 20,000 new homes will be built there in the
next 10 years.