Northpark Making Good Progress Despite a Few Hiccups

4/25/26 – Since I last posted about the Northpark Drive Expansion Project in Kingwood eleven days ago, contractors have continued to push forward.

They have also virtually completed everything east of the bridge abutment all the way to the eastern terminus of the project near the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. Here’s an update on what is and isn’t complete in Phase I.

Eastern Part of Project Virtually Done

The entire project from US59 to the eastern terminus is about a mile. Eight-tenths of that mile is virtually complete – everything between Parkwood Baptist Church to the start of the eastern bridge abutment in front of the Quick Quack Car Wash.

In this segment of the project, I observed:

Medians that need to be planted with grass in some areas
One lane of traffic on each side of the median still blocked off
Traffic cones still blocking off turn lanes where new traffic control lights have not yet been activated
A few gaps in “multi-use pathways.” They’re those things that resemble sidewalks, but are wider.

Other than that, it’s clear sailing in wider lanes than existed before the project. See the pictures below all taken during the afternoon of April 24, 2026. The sequence goes from east to west beginning near Russell Palmer Road.

*Between Parkwood Baptist and Advance Auto Parts, looking at the newly completed turn lanes at Russell Palmer.*

*New traffic signals at Russell Palmer are installed but not yet activated. Multi-use pathways in this area need the most help of anywhere else on the entire project.*

*Just beyond Russell Palmer, we can see that pathways still have a few gaps and that the median has been scraped down to the dirt.*

*Approaching the entrance to Italiano’s and Kings Mill (left side).*

*Sherwin Williams and Quick Quack on right mark the end of the mostly completed segment.*

Bridge Construction

Things get a little hairier in the last 2/10s of a mile. The east abutment is coming along well. It appears to have reached its full height or close to it.

According to the new three-week look ahead schedule, contractors will begin paving up to the ramp next week.

Railroad Crossing

So far, that’s all great news. But Northpark contractors still are working out issues at the UnionPacific Railroad crossing near Loop 494.

On the south side of Northpark, two traffic signal poles still block completion of the new surface lanes. Of course, they’re needed to control traffic for now.

*Note unpaved sections of new surface lanes to left of inbound traffic.*

*On the north side of Northpark, UPRR has installed new crossing signals, but the multi-use pathway is not complete.*

Zig Zag Continues

Traffic near Loop 494 continues to curve in and out around a) the eastern bridge abutment and b) where the western bridge abutment will eventually go between Whataburger and PNC Bank.