Northpark in a Nutshell: Overview of the Expansion Project and Its Benefits

9/8/2026 – Since starting this blog, I’ve published the equivalent of more than two full length novels about Northpark. That’s daunting for even the most avid readers. So, in a nutshell, here is a brief summary of what the Northpark project is all about and its benefits.

Northpark in a Nutshell

Major Problems:

During major floods, Kingwood exits can all go underwater. In Hurricane Harvey, Hamblen, Kingwood Drive, Mills Branch, Northpark, US59, West Lake Houston Parkway and Woodland Hills were all cut off by flood water that rose in the middle of the night…without warning.

*US59 during Harvey. Photo by Melinda Ray.*

Harvey evacuation. Sally Geiss — *Kings Harbor resident being rescued during Harvey*

*Hamblen Road during Harvey. Photo by Jim Balcom.*

The UnionPacific Railroad Bridge was also knocked out.

UP Bridge — *Repair work underway after Harvey on the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge that parallels US59.*

Power and cellular communication were knocked out. Many people became stranded by rising water. It turned neighborhoods into islands with no way to learn whether there were any ways out.

Kingwood High School flooded to second floor.

Every business in Kingwood Town Center and Kings Harbor also flooded. Altogether, 15 people died in Kingwood – almost half the total in all of Harris County.

Northpark Drive is the highest artery and the one farthest from San Jacinto East and West Forks. However, it frequently floods between Bens Branch and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. I know this because it affected my business on Glade Valley opposite Kingwood Park High School almost every year.

Plus, Northpark has three other problems:

Long UPRR trains can block Northpark if there is a problem at Kingwood Drive or the West Fork. So even if people could get past the part of Northpark that now floods, they might not be able to get out of Kingwood.
The old two outbound lanes on Northpark couldn’t handle all the traffic in an emergency that normally flows through all the other exists.
In the event of a derailment and/or a toxic spill during a flood, 78,000 people could be trapped with no way out.

The Solution: Improve Northpark

The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 is:

Widening Northpark from 4 lanes to 6 from Woodland Hills to US 59 in two phases
Building a bridge over UPRR railroad tracks and Loop 494
Installing new streetlights all the way to 59 (previously parts were unlit)
Improving drainage, stormwater detention
Building entry ponds at 59 that provide both aesthetic and flood reduction benefits
Constructing a large, new detention basin where Northpark currently floods between Bens Branch and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.
Elevation of the roadway and bridges where Northpark frequently floods.
Expanding the ditch that runs north of Northpark

Northpark Drive drainage improvements — *Ditch One runs east to west north of Northpark and empties into the Diversion Ditch (center) and Bens Branch (r).*

Who’s Paying

Anyone who spends money within the boundaries of the TIRZ through a sales-tax increment.

Timing

Phase I (US59 to Russell Palmer) should be complete by early 2027
Phase II (Russell Palmer to Woodland Hills) by 2032.

Benefits

Faster commutes for half of Kingwood
First all-weather evacuation route for 78,000 people
Reduced flood risk
Improved public safety

One Part of a Larger Jigsaw Puzzle

Northpark will solve an evacuation problem during extreme flood events. It will also handle larger traffic loads faster as Kingwood continues to grow. However, it will not solve all flooding issues in Kingwood by itself. We must also consider other flood-mitigation initiatives such as:

Upstream detention – Only 15% of the 2500 square miles upstream from Lake Houston are currently controlled by an SJRA dam (Lake Conroe). We need more upstream detention to help reduce peak loads when the SJRA opens Conroe’s gates.
Ongoing dredging – Lake Houston now has a dredging and maintenance district, but it’s just getting organizing. Meanwhile, it’s been years since the Army Corps’ emergency dredging program and sediment is filling back in.
Additional flood gates on Lake Houston – The release rate on Lake Conroe is 15 times greater than Lake Houston, effectively negating pre-release as a strategy to lower the lake and create more floodwater storage.
Expansion of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch – A Harris County Flood Control District Project years past due.
Development and Sand Mining Regulations Upstream – These need to be harmonized so that improvements downstream aren’t immediately offset by issues upstream.
Subsidence – Because subsidence is happening faster at the Harris/Montgomery County line than at the Lake Houston Dam, a bowl is forming in the watershed that reduces the safety margin (feet above floodplain) for property owners in the Humble/Kingwood/Huffman/Atascocita areas.

I could go on, but I’ll cover these in future summaries, such as this one.

In the meantime, for more information about the Northpark Project visit the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 website project pages.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/8/2026

3297 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.