Northpark Contractors Begin Mobilizing for Bridge Construction

11/17/25 – Contractors for the Northpark Drive expansion project have officially begun mobilizing to build the bridge that will go over the UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) Tracks and Loop 494. This morning, I received notice that a piece of equipment called a “Kelly Bar” arrived at the job site. It will be used to drill 100-foot deep piers for the bridge.

ChatGPT says, “A telescopic Kelly bar is made of nested, hollow, steel tubes of successively smaller diameter which slide within one another, allowing the overall length to extend or retract depending on drilling depth.”

Think of an extension pole that lets the augur reach the extreme depths needed to support a bridge that will carry heavy loads.

*Kelly bar being hoisted off transport truck*

At the monthly meeting of the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 on 11/13/2025, Project Manager Ralph De Leon described next steps on the project.

Bridge Construction Will Likely Start on West Side of Loop 494

Contractors will likely start building the bridge on the west side of Loop 494 and work their way east. That’s because UPRR needs to move an electrical line that powers their railroad traffic signals. The line will move to a new pole just north (left) of the junction box shown below. The old pole is in the way of new surface turn lanes that will carry westbound traffic.

*Before traffic can be rerouted to new surface lanes that will be built on the left, electricity for the RR signals must move from the old vine-covered pole to another one out of frame on the left.*

Note how traffic swerves right in the photo above. Until that pole moves, traffic must use the old surface lanes, which are in the bridge’s path.

Said De Leon, “So, we cannot build our feeder roads. The goal was to put everybody on the outside lanes to create an opening in the middle for the bridge.”

So, instead of building the bridge starting east of the tracks, contractors will likely start on the west where barriers to rerouting traffic do not currently exist.

*Looking west from Loop 494. Note how new eastbound pavement on left is mostly complete.*

Eastbound Surface Lanes Close to Concrete Pours

De Leon said contractors could finish the eastbound lanes between Loop 494 and US59 as early as Friday, 11/22/25. That would let contractors tear out the old eastbound lanes and create room to start building the bridge in the middle – independent of what UPRR does with the electricity for its crossing signals.

East of Loop 494, those eastbound surface lanes on the south side of Northpark are also nearing completion. Subsurface prep appears to be complete or nearly so.

*Looking east toward Russell Palmer from in front of Dunkin’. Note the asphalt in the new lanes on the right.*

Concrete comes next. “Once they finish that section, you’ll be able to drive on the new lanes on the south side all the way down past Russell Palmer. So, we’re close to getting everybody out of the middle on the eastbound lanes,” said De Leon. In other news…

Drainage Junction Boxes by UPRR Tracks Half Done

One of the two giant junction boxes by the UPRR tracks is now virtually complete. The boxes are the last link that will carry drainage from west of 494 to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.

Junction box cast in place west of UPRR tracks. The huge opening on the front will connect to a culvert coming under Loop 494. The back of the box (top of frame) is already connected to twin 5′ culverts under the tracks.

Once work on this junction box is complete, contractors can finish Loop 494 paving according to De Leon. “So, then 494 will have a broader cross-section. That’ll be great,” he said. Note how the junction box currently constricts 494 traffic in the photo below.

*Looking S along Loop 494 where Northpark crosses L to R.*

Meanwhile, work is just beginning on the box east of Loop 494 where boring started.

*Junction box east of tracks. Note twin culverts, concrete floor, and contractors erecting rebar for side walls.*

Focus on Driveway Construction

De Leon also discussed the status of business driveways that branch off Northpark. “If you’re going westbound from that new Chevron station near the Diversion Ditch, all those driveways are still blocked out. They have to finish those driveways. And that will keep them busy for a couple of months.” There are a lot of businesses! See the barriers below.