Northpark Drive Expansion Project News: Stormwater Detention, UPRR Crossing and More

2/8/26 – The Northpark Drive Expansion Project has several new developments this month to report.

Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority will consider a motion this Thursday to begin engineering work on a linear stormwater detention basin.
Contractors will soon begin to clear out the ditch behind the businesses on the north side of Northpark.
Paving near the intersection of Northpark and US59 has been completed. Traffic should have returned to normal by Monday February 9, 2026, morning rush hour.
All parties met with UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) to work out details of a plan to create surface roads across their tracks in preparation for bridge construction.
Drainage connections across Northpark are also being scheduled in preparation for bridge construction.

For more details on each, see below.

Stormwater Detention Basin

Last year, Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ10 announced plans to build additional detention basin capability along the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. It would relieve some of the pressure on both the Kingwood Diversion Ditch itself as well as Bens Branch.

The Diversion Ditch splits off Bens Branch just south of the new St. Martha Catholic Church on Woodridge Parkway. The portion of the Northpark Drive Project east of the Diversion Ditch (not yet started) will require the extra stormwater detention capacity. But accelerating the project will provide additional flood protection for Kingwood residents now.

This map from the 2/12/26 Board Packet shows where the project will go.

*Area of investigation for* *detention along Diversion Ditch*

It appears that engineers will explore linear detention down to the first bend in the Diversion Ditch. It also appears they will consider expanding the ditch to the east.

The big wooded area marked “Detention Basin” north of Northpark will not be clearcut, according to TIRZ Project Manager Ralph De Leon. He says much of the area is already below the level of the Diversion Ditch. Engineers are looking at the concept of vertical detention. He said the giant trees can suck water up into their trunks and release it gradually. Plus, the friction they provide against stormwater will slow it down. It’s a green solution.

*Looking south at Diversion Ditch and area for planned detention. St. Martha behind camera position. Northpark crosses l to r through middle of frame.*

To learn more about the proposal, see these pages extracted from the board packet. The meeting will take place at 8AM on Thursday morning at the Kingwood Community Center for those who have public comments.

Ditch-One Clean Out

De Leon also says that contractors will soon begin clearing out the first 900 feet of Ditch One. That’s the ditch that runs behind Public Storage and Dunkin’ Donuts. Ditch One supplements the drainage capacity running down the middle of Northpark from the entry ponds at 59.

Northpark Drive drainage improvements — *Route of Ditch One from Entry Ponds to Diversion Ditch (center) and Bens Branch (r).*

ditch one — *Looking W toward Public Storage. Ditch severely needs cleaning out to restore capacity.*

“The ditch cross section will be regraded. And hydro mulching will be put down as needed to prevent erosion,” De Leon says. “When complete, this will look like a typical grass-lined ditch.”

Intersection of Northpark and US59

Freezing weather caused the delay of new concrete for small area at Northpark and US59. However, contractors completed it last weekend. Traffic was reportedly restored by Sunday night at 10PM. The new paving will let two lanes of traffic turn right simultaneously from northbound 59. That should eliminate some long delays for inbound commuters.

*Looking W at Northpark from over 59. Photo taken before new paving. Repaving the area in the right foreground will let two lanes of traffic turn right from northbound 59 (bottom right).*

UPRR Meeting on Signals, Feeder-Road Crossings

The UnionPacific signal crews finally met with De Leon, contractors, the City, Montgomery County, TXDoT, project engineers and consultants last week on Tuesday.

“The goal was to introduce the separate crews to each other so we can better coordinate our collective efforts.”
Ralph De Leon, Project Manager

Contractors should start dirt work on all four quadrants of both feeder roads – east and west of the rail tracks – this week. For safety reasons, multiple crews will have to be sequenced instead of having them all work simultaneously in the small area.

The UPRR Signal Crew will reach Northpark this week. They will first relocate the existing power supply and traffic control signal box.

Harper Brothers Construction will then build both feeder roads “over the tracks” with the exception of 4 feet next to the tracks.

Then a separate UPRR crew will use that space to make final connections to the rails.

Altogether, it should take UPRR about 2 weeks to remove existing signals, then install temporary and permanent signals.

Once all that is done, Third Coast, a TIRZ contractor, will install temporary traffic signals at 494. That should take about two weeks.

“To do all this safely takes time,” says De Leon. He expects traffic to move permanently to the new feeder roads by late May or early June 2026.

At that point, they can begin building the bridge in earnest

Cross-Northpark Drainage Connections

De Leon also says work will begin soon on two cross-Northpark drainage connections near Loop 494. One will connect the area by the dry cleaner on the SW corner with the Shell station on the NW corner. Another connection will be on the east side of 494 in the general area of the planned bridge.

Rather than close Northpark traffic again, a decision was made to defer the installation until the center/existing roadway crossing at the rail tracks was permanently abandoned, i.e., until after the new surface roads are built.