Northpark Drive expansion; retention basin site.

CenterPoint Delays Force Change in Plans on Northpark Drive Expansion

CenterPoint delays have forced a change in Northpark Drive expansion plans.

Contractors working on the Northpark Drive expansion project in Kingwood have installed culvert as far west as they can until CenterPoint begins eliminating 11 conflicts. According to Ralph De Leon, Northpark project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA), CenterPoint was to have begun eliminating the conflicts on August 1. Four weeks later, CenterPoint hasn’t yet started.

Center Ditch Work Paused; Two New Areas of Focus

The CenterPoint delay is forcing LHRA contractors to change their plans. Specifically:

  • Work in the drainage ditch between east and westbound lanes will pause temporarily.
  • Contractors will move their crews west and begin working on:
    • Expansion of Ditch One that will parallel Northpark to the north.
    • Stormwater retention basins at the corner of Northpark and I-69.

Contractors have already prepositioned equipment and materials for the Ditch One portion of the project behind Duncan Donuts and the stormwater retention basins at I-69. However, as of Sunday morning, 8/27/23, work has not yet begun on either area.

Northpark Drive drainage improvements
Overview showing route of supplementary drainage (Ditch One) from I-69 to to Diversion Ditch and Ben’s Branch.

Photos Taken Sunday August 27, 2023

The pictures below show where contractors will now focus until CenterPoint mobilizes.

Workers have begun pre-positioning equipment and materials behind Duncan Donuts next to Public Storage to begin working on Ditch One.
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Ditch One will carry stormwater north (left) of Northpark from the wet-bottom retention ponds that will be built at I-69.
Looking west along Northpark. Both groves of trees in the foreground will become stormwater retention basins.

Stormwater retention basins will accommodate the extra runoff from the expanded roadway. Culvert under the roadway will connect the two basins and let them drain toward the east into Ditch One.

Looking east at north grove in foreground. Note culvert and pipe being prepositioned inside tree line.

When finished, the twin ponds should resemble the entry ponds at Kingwood Drive.

Where Work Will Pause Temporarily

Meanwhile, farther east, work on replacing the drainage ditch with 5’x7′ culvert has paused.

Looking west along Northpark. Drainage work in the center ditch has paused at JiffyLube until CenterPoint resolves its conflicts.
Looking back east. The 5’x7′ box culverts have already been buried. Eventually two new lanes of traffic will go over them, one in each direction.

LHRA Posts Revised Schedule

LHRA has already posted a revised schedule on its website with a three-week lookahead so that you can plan your schedule to avoid construction.

LHRA has also posted construction drawings; drainage studies; and photos and videos that show the progress of work.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/27/23

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