Tag Archive for: Northpark Expansion Project

What Some Utilities Don’t Understand about Northpark Expansion Project

Foot dragging by utilities has set the Northpark expansion project back years. What none seems to understand is that this isn’t just a normal road expansion project. It’s about creating a reliable, all-weather evacuation route for 78,000 people.

The utilities see the project as a headache. Traumatized residents see it as a lifeline.

And that’s your problem in two, simple sentences.

Evacuation Routes Under Water

Unless you lived here during Harvey, you cannot comprehend the terror of people trapped by rising floodwaters with no way out. By my count, 15 died including 12 elderly who resided near Kingwood’s Town Center, 1.25 miles north of the San Jacinto. Another died two miles north of the river. And two more died near where the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto come together. That makes almost a quarter of the 65 people who died in Harvey across all of Harris County.

Many of my neighbors crowded on the upper floors of homes and in their attics, surrounded by rising floodwaters, praying that they would live through the night. Boats evacuated the lucky ones.

Before power went out and cell phones died, I received several panicked calls from neighbors asking if I knew a way out. They had already tried everything I suggested.

I was out of town when Harvey struck and couldn’t get back in. My wife was home alone, without food, a way to cook, running water, power, a working toilet, or communication. I didn’t know if she was alive or dead. She made it through, but the uncertainty kept me up for days.

I later learned that five evacuation routes out of Kingwood had flooded badly. A sixth to the north was passable… if you could get to it.

Harvey Photos Show Depth of Water

See the pictures below. Hamblen Road was the first to go.

Hamblen Road during Harvey. Photo by Jim Balcom. His family evacuated by boat.

The West Lake Houston Parkway (WLHP) Bridge also became inaccessible. While the bridge remained above water, roads leading to it were under water.

Evacuation from Kings Harbor Townhomes one block from WLHP bridge.
Sally Geis, rescued from the townhomes above made it out by boat. This shows her motoring by the Whataburger on WLHP north of Kingwood Drive, 1.7 miles north of the bridge.
That’s the top of a submerged car at the Kingwood Town Center Apartments near the library, one block west of WLHP.

Kingwood Drive flooded for almost three miles between Timber Shade and Woodland Hills.

Kingwood Drive at Shady Run.
Kingwood High School at Valley Manor flooded to the second floor. Kingwood Drive is in the tree line left of the parking lot.
US59 southbound was cut off by 240,000 cubic feet of floodwater per second. It damaged the southbound lanes of the bridge so badly that they took 11 months to rebuild.

Ford Road was generally passable…if you could get to it. Many who lived close by, even in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest could not reach it.

That leaves Northpark Drive. It too was blocked in places where channels and streams overflowed. I worked on Northpark for 20 years. And I have seen it flood routinely between Bens Branch and the Diversion Ditch during rainfalls much smaller than Harvey’s.

Regardless, it’s the best option for improvement because it’s on high ground. That means the flooding issues are fixable at an affordable cost.

Northpark Voted by Residents as the Most Important Project in Kingwood

After Harvey, multiple surveys conducted by the City of Houston and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin’s office ranked improving Northpark as the most important project in the Kingwood Area.

The project includes a bridge that will go over the railroad. Those mile-long trains frequently back up traffic even when things aren’t flooding. If they stalled during a flood when 78,000 people are trying to squeeze through a pinhole, you have an even bigger problem. And we should not forget in that regard that the UP rail bridge also washed out during Harvey.

UP Rail Bridge Wash Out
Union Pacific railroad traffic was disrupted for months. It had to be completely dismantled. A new bridge was erected in its place.

TXDoT Says “Should Have Been Built Years Ago”

TXDoT told Northpark Expansion Project leaders that if a freestanding town of 78,000 people had been cut off by flooding, an evacuation route would have been built years ago. But we’re not freestanding.

Multi-jurisdictional Morass

Unfortunately, we live in a multi-jurisdictional morass. Two counties. The City. Unincorporated areas. MUDs. The TIRZ. Multiple school districts. Thirty-five homeowner associations. KSA. The state. The Federal Government. Redistricting. Multiple elections that create turnover in leadership.

You get the idea. No one entity or person speaks for the entire area. Thank heavens for former Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin who pushed the Northpark Expansion Project relentlessly ever since Harvey.

So come on Entergy. Come on Verison. Come on CenterPoint. Move it. Act like your lives depended on it. Ours do.

For More Information

For more information about the project including construction plans, visit the project pages of the LHRA/Tirz 10 website. Or see these posts on ReduceFlooding:

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/7/24

2322 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Northpark Expansion Project Moving Forward on Multiple Fronts

October 26, 2023 – The $100 million Northpark Drive expansion project in Kingwood is making steady progress. But in some areas, the action is behind-the-scenes and out of sight for commuters. Let me describe the key highlights for this last week in October. Let’s start west of US59 and move east.

Sidewalk Extension to Kingwood College

Contractors have begun building sidewalks that will eventually connect Kingwood with Kingwood College. This will enable students who cannot afford vehicles to walk or ride bikes to school, saving money that they can put toward their educations. (Most of us can remember what that was like!) Right now, contractors are working to lay-out the forms west of the US59, on TxDOT right-of-way. The sidewalks will extend westward toward Rock Creek on both the north and south sides of the road. 

Looking ENE from west of 59 along the north side of Northpark. Note new bed for sidewalk.
Same direction but looking at the beginning of a new sidewalk along the south side of Northpark.

Brush Piles Removed

At the US59/Northpark intersection, contractors have removed huge brush piles and taken soil samples in preparation for excavation of detention basins. However, some trees still need to be transplanted, especially south of Northpark.

Huge brush piles have been removed. Looking S from E of 59 at where north entry pond will go.

Entry Pond Drainage Pipe

Contractors are installing a 12′ waterline on the north side of Northpark to take stormwater from the two new entry ponds at 59 toward Bens Branch and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.

Looking west toward 59. Note excavation for pipe on the N (right) side of Northpark.

Tree Transplantation

Between 59 and 494, contractors have begun transplanting trees in preparation for widening the street.

Railroad Agreement and Road Closure

The UnionPacific railroad and City of Houston have an interlocal agreement going before City Council on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. The agreement provides for the contractor’s right-of-entry and will allow private utilities to relocate their facilities now, in advance of the reconstruction of two at-grade crossings. Once approved by the City, progress in that area should quickly become more visible. Ralph De Leon, Northpark Project Manager, says he has been working to clear this hurdle since 2015!

When construction begins, UP will need to close Northpark at some point for three days to replace a section of track and update crossing signals. The new signals will provide better integration with other crossings up and down the track.

Widening of Ditch 1

Behind Public Storage, contractors are beginning to construct the new outfall, and clear and grub  “Ditch 1” for more than 800 feet. This will help channel runoff down to Bens Branch and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. It will create an alternate route to evacuate excess stormwater that collects in the detention basins at the US59 Northpark entry. Ditch 1 will parallel Northpark behind the businesses on the north side of the street.

Looking east at Ditch 1 north of Northpark. It is being widened to 40 feet.

Water Main Conflict Resolved

Just past Russell-Palmer, the conflict with a church water main has finally been solved. The City approved a plan to reroute the water under the 6’x8′ box culverts being installed in the center ditch. Once rerouted, contractors will go back and install the missing sections of culvert. They will also place a concrete collar around the splice in the sections of culvert to seal it..

Detention Capacity Expansion

Engineers are studying different scenarios to increase the detention capacity of Ditch 1 north of Northpark. They’re also working on solutions to distribute water between Bens Branch and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, so as not to overwhelm the capacity of either.

Phase II Kicking Off in January

Planning for Phase II of the project (east of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch) has begun. Engineers are examining designs for a pedestrian tunnel near Glade Valley. The tunnel would accommodate extra wide wheelchairs used by clients at the Village Learning Center who shuttle between the Center and jobs along Northpark.

Phase II of Northpark Project
Detail from Diversion Ditch to Woodland Hills. For complete, higher res version, see below.

Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 will hold two public meetings. The first is scheduled for  January 11, 2024, at the Kingwood Community Center to discuss Phase II and solicit input from other groups and residents. 

Additionally, the Engineers are studying different scenarios to increase the detention capacity on the north side of Northpark Drive at Ben’s Branch in order to reduce flooding further south on Ben’s Branch. Potential solutions include detention basins and diverting more water down the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. The Diversion Ditch is being expanded as part of a separate project.

For More Information

The Northpark expansion project has two purposes:

  • Reduce traffic congestion/commute times
  • Create an all-weather evacuation route for 70,000 people who might be affected by floods or train mishaps.

You can review progress of the job by browsing these previous ReduceFlooding.com posts:

For more information, consult the LHRA/TIRZ 10 website.

For a schematic diagram of Phase II (Russell-Palmer to Woodland Hills and beyond, see below.

Click here to enlarge into a higher res PDF.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/26/23

2249 Days since Hurricane Harvey