Northpark Update: Rail Crossings, Bridge, Turn Lanes, Lights and More

2/27/26 – Within the next week, Northpark Drive expansion contractors will likely start paving the last sections of surface road across the UnionPacific Railroad Tracks and Loop 494. The completion of surface roads will clear the way to finish demolishing the old lanes now being used to get traffic across the tracks. And once the old pavement is gone, work on the bridge can begin in earnest.

The holdup to date has been installation of the railroad traffic signals for the new surface lanes. But UPRR has almost completed that work. They will install two gates on both inbound and outbound sides (a change to meet new code requirements). Work on the signals and feeder roads should be complete by late May or early June.

In other news:

Northbound 59 once again has two dedicated right-hand turn lanes onto Northpark inbound. That eliminated a huge backup.
With the exception of some small areas near the railroad tracks and loop 494, two completely paved inbound lanes now stretch all the way from 59 past Russell-Palmer Road.
Contractors are installing street lamps.
They are also running culverts north-to-south next to the railroad tracks under where the bridge will go.

See the pictures below taken on 2/27/26 at approximately 4PM.

Turn Lanes Off Northbound 59 Feeder

On 11/28/25, I took a shot like the one below and traffic was backed up for blocks. Today, on a Friday afternoon rush hour traffic was breezing through thanks to the opening of the second inbound turn lane. See below.

*Looking S. With the completion of two inbound lanes (lower left), both northbound turn lanes on the feeder could be opened.*

Bridge Approaches

When complete, Northpark will feature a bridge with three lanes in each direction that carries traffic over the UPRR tracks and Loop 494. That’s in keeping with plans for Northpark to become an all-weather evacuation route.

*Looking E at the six lanes where the bridge will go.*

*Looking W toward 59. Six lanes for the second bridge approach* *will go in the dirt area (center).*

Railroad Crossings for Surface Lanes

In the two pictures above, you can see that the two outside feeder lanes that will parallel the bridge are already complete with the exception of the short stretch across the tracks. But move a little closer to the tracks, and you can see that Harper Brothers is paving that last surface-lane segment approaching the tracks.

*After contractors complete the second outbound surface lane above, they will have less than 40 yards to complete the surface lanes to/from 59.*

This shot, even closer, shows that last 40 yards.

*The surface lanes will connect with the two rectangular concrete sections that UPRR installed last year* *across its tracks.*

*Note the controller box (shiny silver in lower left) that will control inbound RR crossing gates.* *Comparable equipment is being installed out of frame to the right for outbound gates.*

*The unpaved section in front of the dry cleaners on the corner of 494 and Northpark is the only other unpaved surface-road section aside from the railroad crossings.*

Drainage and Lights

*Culvert Installation. Photo courtesy Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority* (*LHRA).*

*Pouring foundation for street light. Photo courtesy of LHRA.*

If you now drive from the 59 feeder road all the way down past Russell Palmer to the end of the project, you can see that almost all the foundations are in on both sides of the street.

“For each, the contractors drill a hole, put in the rebar, backfill it with concrete, then put all the conduit and pole boxes in,” said Ralph De Leon, the LHRA project manager. “We’re getting really close to having streetlights all the way down on both sides, behind the curb.”

He added, “They’ll be LED lights. It’ll be illuminated like it’s ever been before in history.”