4/15/2026 – In the quest the build the first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood, there’s still much work to do. But contractors have made significant progress on Northpark in the last few weeks.
The two ponds that bracket Northpark Drive at the US59 entrance are getting deeper. Meanwhile, the bridge abutment east of the railroad tracks is getting higher. And Ditch One behind the businesses on the north side of Northpark is getting wider.
Also of note: concrete for the surface lanes that will flank the bridge is creeping ever closer to the UnionPacific Railroad tracks.
See details and photos below.
Entry Ponds Deepen
Contractors are deepening the two entry ponds at US59. Last week, it appeared that they had reached the designed depth in the north pond. Then came the rains. As you can see in the photo below, it had some significant erosion. And in this photo taken this morning, it appears contractors have returned to remove more silt.
North pond at Northpark and 59 on 4/15/26Work on the south pond had paused this morning, while the focus returned to the north pond.
It appears that contractors made significant progress on the south pond. But you can clearly see the effects of erosion from the heavy rains.
To prevent similar erosion in the future, the ponds will be lined with concrete. That work should be completed by the end of next month.
Abutment Getting Higher
An abutment is a structure at the end of a bridge that absorbs lateral forces and moves traffic from ground level onto the clear-span portion of the bridge. Contractors are building the first of two abutments east of the railroad tracks in front of Public Storage and Dunkin’ Donuts. See below.
They started erecting walls last month. And now, they’re filling the area between them with layer after layer of stabilized sand and dirt.
Eastern abutment as of 4/15/26. Looking east.Reverse angle shows how dirt between the walls is being layered in and compacted. Side shot shows the work is already much taller than vehicles.
Drainage Ditch Widened
A drainage ditch (Ditch One) will take excess stormwater from Northpark and route it through a drainage ditch behind the businesses that line the north side of Northpark.
Ditch One has been widened and deepenedback to its original dimensions. It had not been cleaned out for approximately 18 years!Ditch One from ground level. Hydromulching will begin soon to protect the banks from erosion.
UPRR Crossing
Two surface turn lanes will flank each side of the bridge over the railroad tracks and Loop 494. Below, you can see the status of their completion.
Looking slightly E over the UPRR tracks.
On the north (l), pavement is complete up to the last two or three feet on each side of the tracks. On the south (r) pavement also stops short, but more work still needs to be done on the surface lanes themselves.
Keep in mind that after contractors complete paving, UPRR needs to install gates. And after that, a signal crew must make the temporary signals operational before the crossings become operational.
Loop 494
Loop 494 is virtually complete, but the Northpark intersection is not. This will be the focus of work in the near future.
Wider shot looking N along 494.From opposite direction, you can see how wide Loop 494 will be where it approaches Northpark.
Other News
In coming days, crews will also:
Complete patches of sidewalks skipped due to utility conflicts on the project
Backfilling medians in preparation for final sod and seed
Install permanent traffic signals at Russell-Palmer Road and Northpark (expected completion by mid-April)
Please pack your patience, especially at the Russell-Palmer Intersection. Kings Mill residents use the intersection to make a U-turn. The new traffic signals require significant underground work, a new traffic-signal control box, new signal poles, new conduit, new wiring and new programming.
Caution
Please note: Work will continue in the center median of Northpark in preparation to put traffic in its final configuration. There are and will be many obstructions and potential hazards in this area, including construction workers and vehicles.
DO NOT cross into the work zone. Make turns only from delineated cross over areas.
For More Information
Consult the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website Northpark Overpass Project page. This includes a 3-week look-ahead schedule, plans, simulated videos of the completed project, and more.
4/14/26 – The San Jacinto Watershed received only 1% of all HCFCD spending in Q1, despite being the county’s largest watershed and having the worst flooding.
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has published updated spending figures for 2018 Flood Bond Projects through the end of the first quarter of 2026. Analysis also revealed:
No Kingwood or Huffman Area projects have reached the construction stage yet
Spending on Lake Houston Area projects continues to lag other watersheds throughout the county.
HCFCD’s years-long spending slowdown may be stabilizing
Separately, Dr. Tina Petersen, PhD, HCFCD’s executive director, recently announced several positive developments for projects on Cypress Creek, the East Fork and Lake Houston Dam.
Let’s look at the funding analysis first. The screen captures below come from the HCFCD Activity Page and speak for themselves.
Overall Spending Slowdown Stabilizing
The chart below shows incremental spending for ALL watersheds since the start of the flood bond in 2018. But the far right shows only one quarter for this year so far. If the first quarter were annualized, it would approximately equal 2025 year-end spending.
Incremental spending after 2026 Q1 for all watersheds.
However, all phases of activity have declined dramatically since the management change at HCFCD in 2021.
Where the Money Went in Q1
The chart below shows the San Jacinto Watershed ranked 14th versus others. Of the $52 million total dollars spent, more than half of the watersheds received less than $1 million each. Only five watersheds received more than $2 million. The Cypress Creek Watershed received $22 million (36% of the total). That $22 million was three times more than the next largest watershed – White Oak at $6.76 million.
Q1 2026 spending for all watersheds totaled only $52 million.
Petersen attributes construction delays to “getting the funding in place.”
San Jacinto Spending Slowed, Too
Looking closer at the San Jacinto watershed, we can see it dropped sharply. But part of the apparent drop has to do with the fact that you are only looking at one quarter so far for the first quarter of 2026.
Incremental spending for the San Jacinto watershed since 2018
In Q1, HCFCD spent only $524,000 in the entire San Jacinto Watershed. Of that, $491,000 came from partners. Only $33,000 came from HCFCD’s bond or budget.
Breakdown of 2026 Q1 spending in San Jacinto Watershed.Dark blue represents partner spending.
But the most significant takeaway should be the volume of spending in the watershed compared to the total for all watersheds during the quarter…
$.052 million is exactly one one-hundredth of $52 million.
Q1 San Jacinto spending vs. total for all watersheds
And that’s for the county’s largest watershed – where the worst flooding occurred during Harvey. See below.
Chart showing feet above flood stage of 33 gages of misc. bayous in Harris County during Harvey.
Total and Construction Spending
Overall, HCFCD and its partners have spent almost $2.2 billion to date.
Total spending by watershed associated with the 2018 flood bond
But most of that has been on upfront studies, engineering and right-of-way acquisitions. Of the total $2.2 billion spent so far, only $1 billion has been on construction – 36%.
Construction spending through 2026 Q1 from 2018 flood bond.
Among watersheds, the San Jacinto ranks 13th on construction spending (not including County-Wide Spending) since 2018. White Oak ranks #1 with $148 million. To date, the San Jacinto watershed has received $21.5 million – one seventh of the construction dollars received by White Oak.
Status of Kingwood/Huffman Projects
Only three projects are active in the Lake Houston Area.
The Luce Bayou Watershed will receive a new detention basin near FM2100 and the Huffman-Cleveland Road to support regional drainage improvements. Construction plans for the fully funded project are nearing completion, according to Petersen.
Status of Lake Houston Gates and East Fork Detention
Farther upstream on Cypress Creek, Petersen said she expects to finally start construction on the TC Jester East Basin soon. HCFCD also claims to have finished construction on the Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek near the Hardy Tollroad.
When I met with Petersen and State Representative Charles Cunningham last week, she also addressed:
A $20 million Inter-Local Agreement with the City of Houston for new Lake Houston Gates. It is on the 4/16/26 Commissioners Court Agenda. See Item 126.
San Jacinto East Fork stormwater detention basins. It’s unlikely any will be built. But “we’ve identified several locations along the East Fork, where if someone wants to sell their property, we will buy it … and we will get FEMA funding to do that.”.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/14/26
3150 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2018-Bond-Spending-by-WS-Incremental.png?fit=2060%2C778&ssl=17782060adminadmin2026-04-14 17:55:142026-04-14 23:21:29San Jacinto Received Only 1% of HCFCD Spending in 2026 Q1
4/13/26 – Since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, I’ve documented how numerous factors contribute to flooding. Individually, none is unique. You see them in operation everywhere around the world. But collectively, their impacts can “stack” in a way that degrades margins of safety and resilience – in some areas more than others.
US59 Bridge over San Jacinto West Fork during Hurricane Harvey, where numerous flood factors converged.
Progressively Eroding Margins of Safety
Driving a vehicle makes a good analogy. A lonely highway. Rain-slick pavement. The dead of night. Bald tires. Too much speed. A tight curve. And a tired driver loses control.
In respect to flooding, the Lake Houston Area has:
A killer hurricane. Stalls over the Houston Area. The highest rainfall totals in the history of North America. Drainage channels clogged with sediment. A dam that can’t let water out fast enough. Homes built too close to water. Power gone. Communication out. Evacuation routes under water. And millions of people trying to flee. Simultaneously.
It’s not Hollywood; it’s Harvey.
Safety … Within Reason
We like to think of OUR safety as an “absolute.” Government and science will protect us, right? Wrong!
How much risk are we willing to live with? Said another way, “How much can we afford?” Engineers could design drainage systems that protect us from 100,000-year storms. But could we afford them? Probably not.
So, we look at probabilities and we compromise. We design systems to handle more than we expect. And they work great. Until the unexpected happens. Then we pray that everything doesn’t go wrong all at once. That our backup systems work.
And when they don’t, we’re left with that stale bag of potato chips in the back of the cupboard, rotting wallboard, and the kindness of strangers.
Systems Optimized for Competing Interests
We optimize communities to serve many different interests. Not just ours. And not just flood resilience. For instance, homes must be affordable, not just flood-safe. So, builders lobby for regulations that reduce their costs. And that may mean putting homes on smaller lots closer together, which…
Increases the percentage of impervious cover in a development
Speeds up runoff
Creates faster, higher flood peaks
And of course, to make new streets, you need sand for the concrete. So, fast-growing areas set up systems that let miners extract sand from floodways where it’s plentiful and pure.
But of course, that’s only a problem for people who live downstream. Until someone else does the same thing farther upstream.
Results: A Balancing Act
Here in the Lake Houston Area, we have a system where runoff is increasing, conveyance is decreasing, and control is fragmented—all at the same time. This combination is rare and particularly unstable.
But of course, it’s not all bad. Good people fight every day to keep you safe.
We have:
Harris County Flood Control District, widening and maintaining ditches, building stormwater detention basins, and maintaining thousands of miles of channels
Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Council Member Fred Flickinger, Houston Public Works Department and Coastal Water Authority, working to add more gates to the Lake Houston Dam
Thousands of first responders, honing rescue skills for the day they hope will never come
Armies of engineers, working to design drainage systems to keep you safe
Public servants like Harris County’s meteorologist Jeff Lindner, monitoring weather and maintaining flood warning systems 24/7/365 to warn you of severe weather
Northpark Update: Ponds Get Deeper, Bridge Abutment Higher, Ditch Wider
4/15/2026 – In the quest the build the first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood, there’s still much work to do. But contractors have made significant progress on Northpark in the last few weeks.
The two ponds that bracket Northpark Drive at the US59 entrance are getting deeper. Meanwhile, the bridge abutment east of the railroad tracks is getting higher. And Ditch One behind the businesses on the north side of Northpark is getting wider.
Also of note: concrete for the surface lanes that will flank the bridge is creeping ever closer to the UnionPacific Railroad tracks.
See details and photos below.
Entry Ponds Deepen
Contractors are deepening the two entry ponds at US59. Last week, it appeared that they had reached the designed depth in the north pond. Then came the rains. As you can see in the photo below, it had some significant erosion. And in this photo taken this morning, it appears contractors have returned to remove more silt.
It appears that contractors made significant progress on the south pond. But you can clearly see the effects of erosion from the heavy rains.
To prevent similar erosion in the future, the ponds will be lined with concrete. That work should be completed by the end of next month.
Abutment Getting Higher
An abutment is a structure at the end of a bridge that absorbs lateral forces and moves traffic from ground level onto the clear-span portion of the bridge. Contractors are building the first of two abutments east of the railroad tracks in front of Public Storage and Dunkin’ Donuts. See below.
They started erecting walls last month. And now, they’re filling the area between them with layer after layer of stabilized sand and dirt.
Drainage Ditch Widened
A drainage ditch (Ditch One) will take excess stormwater from Northpark and route it through a drainage ditch behind the businesses that line the north side of Northpark.
UPRR Crossing
Two surface turn lanes will flank each side of the bridge over the railroad tracks and Loop 494. Below, you can see the status of their completion.
On the north (l), pavement is complete up to the last two or three feet on each side of the tracks. On the south (r) pavement also stops short, but more work still needs to be done on the surface lanes themselves.
Keep in mind that after contractors complete paving, UPRR needs to install gates. And after that, a signal crew must make the temporary signals operational before the crossings become operational.
Loop 494
Loop 494 is virtually complete, but the Northpark intersection is not. This will be the focus of work in the near future.
Other News
In coming days, crews will also:
Please pack your patience, especially at the Russell-Palmer Intersection. Kings Mill residents use the intersection to make a U-turn. The new traffic signals require significant underground work, a new traffic-signal control box, new signal poles, new conduit, new wiring and new programming.
Caution
Please note: Work will continue in the center median of Northpark in preparation to put traffic in its final configuration. There are and will be many obstructions and potential hazards in this area, including construction workers and vehicles.
DO NOT cross into the work zone. Make turns only from delineated cross over areas.
For More Information
Consult the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website Northpark Overpass Project page. This includes a 3-week look-ahead schedule, plans, simulated videos of the completed project, and more.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/15/26
3151 Days since Hurricane Harvey
San Jacinto Received Only 1% of HCFCD Spending in 2026 Q1
4/14/26 – The San Jacinto Watershed received only 1% of all HCFCD spending in Q1, despite being the county’s largest watershed and having the worst flooding.
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has published updated spending figures for 2018 Flood Bond Projects through the end of the first quarter of 2026. Analysis also revealed:
Separately, Dr. Tina Petersen, PhD, HCFCD’s executive director, recently announced several positive developments for projects on Cypress Creek, the East Fork and Lake Houston Dam.
Let’s look at the funding analysis first. The screen captures below come from the HCFCD Activity Page and speak for themselves.
Overall Spending Slowdown Stabilizing
The chart below shows incremental spending for ALL watersheds since the start of the flood bond in 2018. But the far right shows only one quarter for this year so far. If the first quarter were annualized, it would approximately equal 2025 year-end spending.
However, all phases of activity have declined dramatically since the management change at HCFCD in 2021.
Where the Money Went in Q1
The chart below shows the San Jacinto Watershed ranked 14th versus others. Of the $52 million total dollars spent, more than half of the watersheds received less than $1 million each. Only five watersheds received more than $2 million. The Cypress Creek Watershed received $22 million (36% of the total). That $22 million was three times more than the next largest watershed – White Oak at $6.76 million.
Petersen attributes construction delays to “getting the funding in place.”
San Jacinto Spending Slowed, Too
Looking closer at the San Jacinto watershed, we can see it dropped sharply. But part of the apparent drop has to do with the fact that you are only looking at one quarter so far for the first quarter of 2026.
In Q1, HCFCD spent only $524,000 in the entire San Jacinto Watershed. Of that, $491,000 came from partners. Only $33,000 came from HCFCD’s bond or budget.
But the most significant takeaway should be the volume of spending in the watershed compared to the total for all watersheds during the quarter…
And that’s for the county’s largest watershed – where the worst flooding occurred during Harvey. See below.
Total and Construction Spending
Overall, HCFCD and its partners have spent almost $2.2 billion to date.
But most of that has been on upfront studies, engineering and right-of-way acquisitions. Of the total $2.2 billion spent so far, only $1 billion has been on construction – 36%.
Among watersheds, the San Jacinto ranks 13th on construction spending (not including County-Wide Spending) since 2018. White Oak ranks #1 with $148 million. To date, the San Jacinto watershed has received $21.5 million – one seventh of the construction dollars received by White Oak.
Status of Kingwood/Huffman Projects
Only three projects are active in the Lake Houston Area.
The Kingwood Diversion Ditch is still in engineering. It is fully funded and includes:
Petersen says construction could start as early as 2027.
She expects the Taylor Gully and the Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin Project to start construction in May 2026. It is also fully funded and includes:
The Luce Bayou Watershed will receive a new detention basin near FM2100 and the Huffman-Cleveland Road to support regional drainage improvements. Construction plans for the fully funded project are nearing completion, according to Petersen.
Status of Lake Houston Gates and East Fork Detention
Farther upstream on Cypress Creek, Petersen said she expects to finally start construction on the TC Jester East Basin soon. HCFCD also claims to have finished construction on the Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek near the Hardy Tollroad.
When I met with Petersen and State Representative Charles Cunningham last week, she also addressed:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/14/26
3150 Days since Hurricane Harvey
How “Stacking Effect” Erodes Margins of Safety
4/13/26 – Since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, I’ve documented how numerous factors contribute to flooding. Individually, none is unique. You see them in operation everywhere around the world. But collectively, their impacts can “stack” in a way that degrades margins of safety and resilience – in some areas more than others.
Progressively Eroding Margins of Safety
Driving a vehicle makes a good analogy. A lonely highway. Rain-slick pavement. The dead of night. Bald tires. Too much speed. A tight curve. And a tired driver loses control.
In respect to flooding, the Lake Houston Area has:
Now, Add 30-40% More Rain than Expected
A killer hurricane. Stalls over the Houston Area. The highest rainfall totals in the history of North America. Drainage channels clogged with sediment. A dam that can’t let water out fast enough. Homes built too close to water. Power gone. Communication out. Evacuation routes under water. And millions of people trying to flee. Simultaneously.
Safety … Within Reason
We like to think of OUR safety as an “absolute.” Government and science will protect us, right? Wrong!
How much risk are we willing to live with? Said another way, “How much can we afford?” Engineers could design drainage systems that protect us from 100,000-year storms. But could we afford them? Probably not.
So, we look at probabilities and we compromise. We design systems to handle more than we expect. And they work great. Until the unexpected happens. Then we pray that everything doesn’t go wrong all at once. That our backup systems work.
And when they don’t, we’re left with that stale bag of potato chips in the back of the cupboard, rotting wallboard, and the kindness of strangers.
Systems Optimized for Competing Interests
We optimize communities to serve many different interests. Not just ours. And not just flood resilience. For instance, homes must be affordable, not just flood-safe. So, builders lobby for regulations that reduce their costs. And that may mean putting homes on smaller lots closer together, which…
And of course, to make new streets, you need sand for the concrete. So, fast-growing areas set up systems that let miners extract sand from floodways where it’s plentiful and pure.
But of course, that’s only a problem for people who live downstream. Until someone else does the same thing farther upstream.
Results: A Balancing Act
Here in the Lake Houston Area, we have a system where runoff is increasing, conveyance is decreasing, and control is fragmented—all at the same time. This combination is rare and particularly unstable.
But of course, it’s not all bad. Good people fight every day to keep you safe.
We have:
It’s all a balancing act.
For More Information
To learn more about how we can protect margins of safety, see the Lessons Page of this website.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/13/2026
3149 Days since Hurricane Harvey