Mark Your Calendar: Median Madness Round 2, Northpark Closure
2/14/25 – Mark your calendars, Kingwood residents. Two important upcoming events will affect most of you: Median Madness Round 2 and a total Northpark Drive closure lasting 3-days at the UnionPacific Railroad near Loop 494. Here are details of each.
Median Madness Round 2
City Council Member Fred Flickinger has organized another vine trimming event on Kingwood Drive. It’s called Median Madness, Round 2. Please consider volunteering.
Round 1, held last November was a fun success. Dozens of volunteers from all of Kingwood got to vent their pent-up frustrations on vines that were taking over Kingwood Drive. And they did it with a vengeance.
They used chain saws, lopping shears, pruning saws and sheer muscle power to push back the wall of vines on a half mile stretch of median. But the best part beyond the results was the camaraderie that came from neighbors working together to improve their community.
Median Madness Round 2 will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2025, between 8:30 AM and 12:00 PM from Kings Creek Drive to Forest Shores Drive. That’s roughly a block past Kings Forest Drive and a block short of Shady Run.
This time parking will be on the westbound lanes (north side) of Kingwood Drive. The organizers request that volunteers carpool.
Please Register HERE for the Event
Remember to bring water and gloves, and to wear closed-toe shoes. Anyone under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
Once registered, you’ll receive an email with a waiver and helpful tips to prepare for the event. Be sure to complete the waiver and bring a printed copy with you on the day of Median Madness, Saturday, February 22nd.
Northpark Drive Closure March 5-7
As part of the Northpark Drive expansion project, both inbound and both outbound lanes will be closed from March 5-7 at the UnionPacific Railroad Tracks. That’s Wednesday through Friday. We’ve known this was coming for years. Now it’s here.
The new track will stretch under and across ten full lanes of traffic. Those include:
- Three lanes of westbound traffic over a bridge yet to be built
- Three lanes of eastbound traffic over the same bridge
- Two westbound surface lanes, one for turning north, the other for turning south
- Two eastbound surface lanes, one for traffic entering from the north and the other for traffic entering from the south.
To accomplish this feat, they need to close down Northpark Drive in BOTH directions simultaneously to work with massive cranes.
Ralph De Leon, project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, stressed that the remainder of Northpark Drive will remain open so that people may access businesses.
Just plan on getting across the tracks some way other than Northpark. Contractors will construct a U-turn just before the track closure so that people can get to/from nearby businesses, such as Dunkin’ Donuts.
Start planning your detours now.
UPRR has two crews that handle projects like this throughout the entire country. Missing the opening in their schedule would mean waiting for years before they could return.
So pack your patience. Work from home if possible. And if not, plan extra time for your commute.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/14/25
2726 Days since Hurricane Harvey
