11/25/25 – Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger announced today that Mills Branch Drive will get a $1.2 million makeover from Northpark Drive northeast to the City Limit. See below.
The makeover will consist of an asphalt overlay funded through the Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Capital Fund.
Public Works will begin improvements on Mills Branch Dr. starting Monday, December 8, weather permitting, and expects to complete the project by Saturday, January 17, 2026.
Flickinger’s office says construction activities should take 40 days, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and that weekends will vary. Construction should not interrupt water or sewer service.
However, the project will include temporary lane closures. So please watch for flagmen and orange traffic cones that will help with traffic flow through the construction zone.
Also, expect some delays and leave extra time for commuting during construction. Finally, Flickinger warns of noise levels which will likely increase because of construction equipment in the area.
As always, pack your patience and look forward to a better ride in the future.
The Council Member says this project has no particular connection to the Northpark or Ford Road improvement projects. It just needed to be done. Regardless of the motivation, it should help with an evacuation should one ever become necessary due to flooding.
For More Information
Please contact the District E office at (832) 393-3008 or via email at districte@houstontx.gov.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/25/25
3010 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Mills-Branch-Paving-2-copy-2.jpg?fit=1100%2C824&ssl=18241100adminadmin2025-11-25 16:22:592025-11-25 16:39:47Mills Branch Drive to Get $1.2 Million Makeover Soon
11/23/25 – Contractors for the Northpark expansion project will now start constructing piers for the bridge over the UnionPacific Railroad tracks and Loop 494 on the east instead of the west, as previously announced. Photos taken today show equipment that will be used to drill the piers pre-positioned near Public Storage.
Elsewhere along Northpark since the last update a week ago:
An additional newly paved inbound lane between US59 and Exxon now shows how wide Northpark will be.
The drainage junction box on the west side of the UP tracks is complete and covered, although the box still needs to be connected to 8′ culvert coming under Loop 494.
Many, but not all, of the new driveways to businesses on the north/outbound lanes have now been completed.
As always, the pictures tell the story. I took all photos below today, Sunday, November 23, 2025.
Full Width Now Visible by Exxon
New concrete near 59 gives one a feeling for just how wide Northpark will be for most of its length. It’s not all open yet, but it won’t be long.
Looking west toward the junction of US59 and Northpark.
Here’s a wider shot from the reverse angle.
Looking east from over 59.Farther east, you can see the area in the middle where the bridge will start to elevateby PNC banknear bottom of frame.
Drainage Junction Box West of Tracks Now Complete and Covered
The drainage junction box west of the UP tracks is now complete and covered. However, before Loop 494 paving can be completed, contractors must still install a short section of 8′ culvert. Boring under the tracks was a major milestone and so is the completion of the first junction box.
Buried junction box is to right of excavator.The steel fin poking up in the oval marks the edge of the junction box.
Next, contractors will excavate the area between the red lines and connect the junction box with culvert already running under Loop 494. Then…
Contractors will next complete this last section of Loop 494, which should greatly relieve traffic congestion.The junction box east of the tracks is virtually complete. More good news!
It, too, will need to be connected, and then drainage will reach all the way from the entry ponds to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. However, before new surface lanes can be put over the tracks, electricity to the UPRR crossing signal must be rerouted. See below.
Instead of power going to the signals from 3 to 2 to 1, UP must reroute it from 4 to 1.
Ralph De Leon, the Northpark project manager indicated that Pole #4 is already energized so this is primarily just a rewiring exercise. However, UP will not give him a definite date to plan around. They say they hope to get to it sometime “next year.”
Where Bridge Construction Will Now Start
Looking farther east, you can see more surface lane prep on the left, fresh concrete with curbs and drainage inlets completed on the right, and equipment being mobilized for drilling bridge piers in the middle.
Looking E from in front of Self-U Storage. Friendswood’s new Northpark Enclave subdivision on right.Equipment that will be used to start drilling piers stationed in front of Public Storage (left)The telescoping Kelly Bar that will be used to hydro-excavate 100-foot deep holes for the piersRed crane will control Kelly Bar
The drilling will be a step and repeat process with rebar and concrete being inserted into each hole before moving on to the next. That will keep the holes from collapsing as work proceeds.
Slightly farther east, you can see where the bridge will end and the surface lanes will pinch in
Where surface traffic will eventually merge with bridge traffic.
More news to follow soon about the area above. Between normal traffic, Northpark contractors, and Enclave contractors, this area is getting crowded. Use extra caution.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/23/25
3008 Days since Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20251123-DJI_20251123140542_0451_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-11-23 17:11:042025-11-23 20:47:05Northpark Bridge Construction Plan Changes
11/22/2025 – The EPA announced new interpretations of rules this week that have protected wetlands and water quality throughout America for more than five decades. According to the New York Times, the new guidelines could remove millions of acres of wetlands from Federal protection including those in the Lake Houston Area.
Those wetlands help soak up water, reducing flood risk. They also clean water and provide habitat for wildlife. And that’s a large part of what makes living in this area so attractive.
Great egret photographed near East End Park
Before the EPA
Those of us old enough to remember a time before the EPA can remember the stinking, fetid, poisonous messes our rivers and lakes had become. The Cuyahoga River near where I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, had caught on fire 13 times before the EPA was formed. It was a testament to the failure of local governments to withstand industry pressures.
The Cuyahoga River caught fire a total of 13 times dating back to 1868. It was one of the most polluted rivers in America. Photo: Cleveland State University Library.
But this week, Washington moved to weaken the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, two bedrock laws of environmental protection. The moves come as part of a broader deregulatory effort.
Ironically, the announced motive for the federal government getting out of the wetlands-protection business was to return authority for that to the states. That theory proved ineffective decades ago. But almost two thirds of Americans alive today, weren’t even born in 1970.
The regulatory vacuum left by the Federal government will open up a window for wetlands exploitation before the Texas legislature meets again for two more years. Developers are already lined up waiting to develop wetlands in the Lake Houston Area. Yesterday, I posted about Scarborough, Holley and Signorelli.
You can bet this will trigger a “swamp rush” among developers who see the opportunity to buy low and sell high. Unfortunately, we’ve seen over and over again, how wetlands tend to be in areas that flood. It will only be a matter of time before they do.
And then all those homes sold to unsuspecting couples – who were promised that their homes met all government requirements – will be left holding a soggy title to a home they will have trouble selling for dimes on the dollar.
The Houston Chronicle recently documented 65,000 homes built in Houston-area floodplains since Hurricane Harvey. How soon people have forgotten! We are witnessing another disaster in the making – one that could be even harder to recover from next time.
But the changes aren’t a done deal yet. America still has a choice.
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.
Mills Branch Drive to Get $1.2 Million Makeover Soon
11/25/25 – Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger announced today that Mills Branch Drive will get a $1.2 million makeover from Northpark Drive northeast to the City Limit. See below.
Public Works will begin improvements on Mills Branch Dr. starting Monday, December 8, weather permitting, and expects to complete the project by Saturday, January 17, 2026.
Flickinger’s office says construction activities should take 40 days, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and that weekends will vary. Construction should not interrupt water or sewer service.
However, the project will include temporary lane closures. So please watch for flagmen and orange traffic cones that will help with traffic flow through the construction zone.
Also, expect some delays and leave extra time for commuting during construction. Finally, Flickinger warns of noise levels which will likely increase because of construction equipment in the area.
As always, pack your patience and look forward to a better ride in the future.
The Council Member says this project has no particular connection to the Northpark or Ford Road improvement projects. It just needed to be done. Regardless of the motivation, it should help with an evacuation should one ever become necessary due to flooding.
For More Information
Please contact the District E office at (832) 393-3008 or via email at districte@houstontx.gov.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/25/25
3010 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Northpark Bridge Construction Plan Changes
11/23/25 – Contractors for the Northpark expansion project will now start constructing piers for the bridge over the UnionPacific Railroad tracks and Loop 494 on the east instead of the west, as previously announced. Photos taken today show equipment that will be used to drill the piers pre-positioned near Public Storage.
Elsewhere along Northpark since the last update a week ago:
As always, the pictures tell the story. I took all photos below today, Sunday, November 23, 2025.
Full Width Now Visible by Exxon
New concrete near 59 gives one a feeling for just how wide Northpark will be for most of its length. It’s not all open yet, but it won’t be long.
Here’s a wider shot from the reverse angle.
Drainage Junction Box West of Tracks Now Complete and Covered
The drainage junction box west of the UP tracks is now complete and covered. However, before Loop 494 paving can be completed, contractors must still install a short section of 8′ culvert. Boring under the tracks was a major milestone and so is the completion of the first junction box.
Next, contractors will excavate the area between the red lines and connect the junction box with culvert already running under Loop 494. Then…
It, too, will need to be connected, and then drainage will reach all the way from the entry ponds to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. However, before new surface lanes can be put over the tracks, electricity to the UPRR crossing signal must be rerouted. See below.
Ralph De Leon, the Northpark project manager indicated that Pole #4 is already energized so this is primarily just a rewiring exercise. However, UP will not give him a definite date to plan around. They say they hope to get to it sometime “next year.”
Where Bridge Construction Will Now Start
Looking farther east, you can see more surface lane prep on the left, fresh concrete with curbs and drainage inlets completed on the right, and equipment being mobilized for drilling bridge piers in the middle.
The drilling will be a step and repeat process with rebar and concrete being inserted into each hole before moving on to the next. That will keep the holes from collapsing as work proceeds.
Slightly farther east, you can see where the bridge will end and the surface lanes will pinch in
More news to follow soon about the area above. Between normal traffic, Northpark contractors, and Enclave contractors, this area is getting crowded. Use extra caution.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/23/25
3008 Days since Harvey
Editorial: Preserve Hard-Won Environmental Protections
11/22/2025 – The EPA announced new interpretations of rules this week that have protected wetlands and water quality throughout America for more than five decades. According to the New York Times, the new guidelines could remove millions of acres of wetlands from Federal protection including those in the Lake Houston Area.
Those wetlands help soak up water, reducing flood risk. They also clean water and provide habitat for wildlife. And that’s a large part of what makes living in this area so attractive.
Before the EPA
Those of us old enough to remember a time before the EPA can remember the stinking, fetid, poisonous messes our rivers and lakes had become. The Cuyahoga River near where I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, had caught on fire 13 times before the EPA was formed. It was a testament to the failure of local governments to withstand industry pressures.
We had reached a tipping point. That’s why in 1970, Congress formed the EPA – to set national standards that protected the environment.
But this week, Washington moved to weaken the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, two bedrock laws of environmental protection. The moves come as part of a broader deregulatory effort.
Ironically, the announced motive for the federal government getting out of the wetlands-protection business was to return authority for that to the states. That theory proved ineffective decades ago. But almost two thirds of Americans alive today, weren’t even born in 1970.
The regulatory vacuum left by the Federal government will open up a window for wetlands exploitation before the Texas legislature meets again for two more years. Developers are already lined up waiting to develop wetlands in the Lake Houston Area. Yesterday, I posted about Scarborough, Holley and Signorelli.
You can bet this will trigger a “swamp rush” among developers who see the opportunity to buy low and sell high. Unfortunately, we’ve seen over and over again, how wetlands tend to be in areas that flood. It will only be a matter of time before they do.
And then all those homes sold to unsuspecting couples – who were promised that their homes met all government requirements – will be left holding a soggy title to a home they will have trouble selling for dimes on the dollar.
Clearly, the pendulum has swung back in the other direction already.
The Houston Chronicle recently documented 65,000 homes built in Houston-area floodplains since Hurricane Harvey. How soon people have forgotten! We are witnessing another disaster in the making – one that could be even harder to recover from next time.
But the changes aren’t a done deal yet. America still has a choice.
Speak Up, Speak Out
Fight back. Make your voice heard. Make sure you register your opinion about the threat to wetlands here. And write your Federal representatives. Make this an election issue.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/22/2025
3007 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.