Excavation of Second Northpark Detention Basin Well Underway
Since last week’s post about the Northpark expansion project, contractors have made significant progress on the two stormwater detention basins at US59. Contractors are forming concrete retaining walls for both ponds. They have excavated the north pond down to the water table. And, in the south pond, contractors are mounding dirt in three locations for removal and temporary storage.
The ponds are designed to provide storage capacity for excess stormwater that might otherwise flood this crucial intersection. The intersection will provide the final link in the only all-weather evacuation route in Kingwood for 78,000 residents. During Hurricane Harvey, floodwaters blocked both Hamblen Road and Kingwood Drive.
Photos Taken on 2/16/24
I took the following photos at noon on Friday, 2/16/24..
South Pond
Contractors are temporarily storying the dirt at the Eagle sand mine on Sorters-McClellan Road. They will later retrieve it to fill in the road bed above the box culverts that are replacing the center ditch down Northpark.
North Pond
Contractors began working on the north pond first, so it is further along. However, excavation is not yet complete. They will do it in two stages. For now, they’ve excavated down to the water table. When pond liners arrive (any day now), contractors will begin the second phase and excavate even deeper.
The pipe you see lined up in the photo below will help carry excess stormwater in the ponds to Ditch One which parallels Northpark on the north. From there, it will follow gravity to Bens Branch and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch which will carry it to Lake Houston.
CenterPoint Almost Finished Burying New Gas Line
CenterPoint had one westbound lane blocked off at noon today where it was burying a new gas line outside of the City’s easement. Reportedly, the utility is close to finished with the relocation effort. It is replacing one line that used to go down the center ditch with two, one on each side of the expanded roadbed.
As Ralph De Leon, the project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 said, “It’s one thing for a company to say they’ll handle something. It’s another for them to show up with giant boring machines to make it happen.” De Leon was happy with the progress they were making.
Still No News from Entergy
Entergy had until the close of business today to respond to the City of Houston’s demand for a plan to relocate its electrical services along Northpark. Project coordinators asked Entergy to move its lines in 2020. But the company has not moved anything to date.
It’s not clear at press time, whether Entergy met the City’s deadline. More next week when I learn more from City Hall.
For More Information
For more information about the project including construction plans, visit the project pages of the LHRA/Tirz 10 website. Or see these posts on ReduceFlooding:
- 24/02/10 Entergy in City’s Crosshairs, Lane Closure Announced
- 24/02/02 Northpark Tree Transplantation Finished, Drainage Updates
- 24/01/13 Excavation of Northpark Detention Basins Starts
- 24/01/07 What Some Utilities Don’t Understand About the Northpark Expansion Project
- 24/01/04 Northpark Tree Moving Starts; Pond Excavation Next
- 23/12/03 Northpark Expansion Presses Forward While Fighting Entergy Obstacle
- 23/11/17 Contractors Strike Oil at Entry (Illegally dumped years ago)
- 23/11/05 City Approves Northpark Expansion Agreement with Union-Pacific.
- 23/10/26 Project moving forward on multiple fronts
- 23/10/12 Transplanting first tree
- 23/10/02 Clearing of south-side entry for second pond
- 23/09/30 Clearing north-side entry for first pond
- 23/09/23 How plan balances flood mitigation, costs, saving trees
- 23/09/02 New entry design, change in construction plans forced by utility conflicts
- 23/08/17 More drainage for Northpark
- 23/08/02 Ditch clearing stretches halfway to 59 in less than week
- 23/07/25 Northpark construction starts in earnest
- 23/04/13 Groundbreaking
- 22/02/19 Update on expansion project
- 21/07/28 Plan details
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/16/2024
2362 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.