northpark expansion

Northpark Reduced to One Outbound Lane Friday Morning

10/2/24 – The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 has announced that it will reduce Northpark Drive outbound traffic to one lane Friday (10/4/24) from about 3AM to 1PM. Contractors will be pouring concrete next to existing lanes. Crews need part of one lane for both construction work and their safety.

Men will spread and smooth new concrete from the old roadway as they previously did in eastbound lanes two weeks ago.

The work will take place between Loop 494 and Russell Palmer Road. Currently crews are preparing the base with asphalt. They should be ready to create a rebar grid on all of part of the asphalt areas beginning tomorrow.

Another concrete pour is scheduled for the following Friday, 10/11/24, weather permitting.

Pictures of Progress

Below are pictures of the project’s progress since my last post in mid-September.

Looking ESE toward Russell Palmer intersection in upper left. Note new asphalt between inbound and outbound lanes.
Looking WSW. Note: concrete for part of one westbound lane has already been poured to roughly Italiano’s.
Looking at previous pours and area where new pour will extend past Kings Mill Entrance.
Looking W. Area in front of Kings Mill entrance has already been completed on south side. Workers are removing forms. Forms have already been installed over asphalt on north side, but no rebar yet.
Looking W toward 59 in background. More drainage work is underway on both north and south sides of Norpark.
Looking W toward Russell Palmer from in front of Calvary Church at new blacktop.
Looking W at workers laying asphalt on both north and south sides of median over the drainage culverts.

Remember: the road will widen inward, not outward except near the bridge.

Visible Progress Accelerating

Contractors have completed most, but not all, of the underground drainage work at this point. They still have to:

  • Complete drainage from Loop 494 to US59
  • Build surface lanes that will parallel the new bridge over Loop 494.
  • Tunnel under the railroad tracks to install drainage that will convey stormwater from entry ponds to “Ditch One” behind the businesses that line the north side of Northpark.
  • Connect all the pieces of the drainage system.

But the lion’s share of underground work – the most difficult part of road construction – has finished.

Now contractors are focused on pavement that people can actually see. And it’s moving along rapidly thanks to cooperative weather.

The project paving plan and the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website indicate they will attempt to complete a 1680 stretch of westbound lane on Friday. Additional segments will follow.

Before then, though, contractors are returning dirt to the site that had been excavated and stored temporarily during installation of the culverts. They will then prepare the raised areas for future concrete pours by installing a base of asphalt and a grid of rebar.

Here’s a schedule posted yesterday for the next three weeks.

Vision

The long-term vision for the thoroughfare is to create an all-weather access road that will facilitate both evacuation and growth. The six lanes will have the width of freeway lanes. A bridge will carry those six lanes of traffic over Loop 494. And four additional surface turn lanes will be built near the bridge. They will let traffic turn left and right from each of the four directions.

The extra runoff will be stored in stormwater retention basins that bracket the expansion project at 59.

For More Information

The posts below contain a history of the project.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/2/24

2591 Days since Hurricane Harvey