Save the Dates: Diversion Ditch, Northpark Phase II Meetings
Save two dates: March 6 and 7 for important public meetings. These meetings represent your chance to provide input on plans that will affect the future of Kingwood and your family’s safety.
- Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Harris County Flood Control District will hold a virtual meeting to reveal the recommendations for the Kingwood Diversion Ditch Project. That meeting will run from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.
- The following day, TxDOT has announced a meeting from 5-7 PM, Thursday, March 7, 2024, to reveal plans for the next phase of the Northpark Drive Expansion Project. This meeting has both virtual and in-person options.
For more information on each, see below.
Diversion Ditch Meeting
The Kingwood Diversion Ditch runs down the western side of Kingwood from St. Martha’s Catholic Church to Deer Ridge and River Grove Parks. Along the way, it crosses under Northpark Drive, Kingwood Drive, Walnut Lane and Deer Ridge Estates bridges. Affected homeowner and business associations include:
- Kingwood Place Commercial
- Northpark Place Commercial
- North and South Woodland Hills
- Kings Mill
- Kings Manor
- Trailwood
- Forest Cove
- Barrington
- Deer Ridge Estates
Friendswood originally built the Diversion Ditch to take pressure off Bens Branch, hence the Ditch’s name. Ben’s Branch angles diagonally through Kingwood from St. Martha’s Catholic Churches (old and new), past Kingwood High School and Town Center. It reaches the river between Kings Harbor and Fosters Mill.
The Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch are connected, so one affects the other. Together, they affect half of Kingwood.

The Kingwood Area Drainage Analysis listed improvements to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch as the most important flood-mitigation project in Kingwood. It affects more people than any other drainage project in the area.
HCFCD’s proposed project alternative recommends:
- Channel conveyance improvements
- A diversion structure at the intersection of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch to divert stormwater into the Kingwood Diversion Ditch
- Bridge replacements at Kingwood Drive, Walnut Lane, Deer Ridge Estates Boulevard and the pedestrian bridge at Lake Village Drive
- A new outfall to the West Fork San Jacinto River
Here is HCFCD’s press release on the meeting. The virtual community engagement meeting will be held on:
March 6, 2024
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Join online at: PublicInput.com/Kingwood2
Or by phone* at 855-925-2801 with Meeting Code: 6701
Even if you are unable to attend the live meeting, residents are encouraged to register for the meeting to receive future project updates. A recorded version of the meeting will be available on the Flood Control District’s website and YouTube channel after the event.
To provide comments, fill out the comment form online at www.hcfcd.org/F-14.
Northpark Drive Expansion Phase II Meeting
TxDOT, the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA) and the City of Houston Tax Increment Redevelopment Zone (TIRZ) 10 are soliciting public comments for the next phase of the Northpark Drive Expansion Project.
Phase II will run from slightly west of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch to slightly east of Woodland Hills Drive. Part of the mile-long project falls in Montgomery County and part in Harris County.
The purpose of the project is to address current and increasing traffic congestion. Utility and drainage features will also be upgraded.
And to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, the project will include a new pedestrian underpass and 10-foot wide sidewalks that connect to the Kingwood trail system.
The TxDOT announcement provides a few of the details:
- To improve commute times, the roadway will expand to three lanes in each direction and include turn lanes.
- To improve safety, lane width will also increase.
- The proposed reconstruction will include new signals at the Woodland Hills Drive and Hidden Pines Drive.
- To improve drainage and make Northpark passable in high water events so Kingwood residents have an all-weather evacuation route.
TxDOT does not anticipate impacting any home or business structures at this time. But strips of property that front on the roadway will need to be acquired. For additional details, see this TxDOT page or a schematic drawing on this LHRA page.

Don’t miss this meeting, especially if you live, work or go to school in the northern part of Kingwood.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
from 5-7 p.m.
Kingwood Park Community Center
4102 Rustic Woods Dr.
Kingwood, TX 77345
You can provide public comments by mail or email:
- Mail:
TxDOT Houston District Office
Attn: Advanced Project Development Director
P.O. Box 1386
Houston, Texas 77251-1386 - Email: HOU-PIOwebmail@txdot.gov or Info@lakehoustonra.com
All comments on Northpark Phase II must be received or postmarked by Friday, March 22, 2024.
I’ll cover both of these meetings and provide reminders as the dates approach. Your feedback is important. If you have concerns about the plans, these meetings are the time and place to voice them.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/24/24
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