11/5/25 – From ground level, a driver may not see all the progress being made on the first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood. But from the air, it’s unmistakable. One can clearly see the pieces of the final Northpark project coming together.
In the last week, contractors have:
Prepped and/or paved a mile of new inbound lanes on Northpark
Framed out most of the first junction box that will convey stormwater from one side of the UPRR tracks to another
Began prepping the second junction box.
Extended sidewalks on the south side of Northpark between Loop 494 and 59.
Below are pictures taken on Monday, 11/3/25 that show the state of the massive project.
Prep and Paving of Inbound Lanes
Looking east from the entry ponds at US59, note the sidewalks going in on the right. Contractors are bending the path to save a giant live oak tree by the Exxon station.
Looking east from the entry ponds at US59 on 11/3/25. Note sidewalk swerving to save tree. Closeup below.Closer shot of men routing the sidewalk around the live oak in front of the Exxon Station.
Also note below that contractors have removed all the old concrete from the southernmost lanes (right of center) and have begun paving new lanes from Whataburger to US59.
Reverse angle. Looking SW at the same area.
On the other side of Loop 494, there’s even more progress. Note the new lanes stretching east from Loop 494 most of the way to Russell Palmer Road.
Looking east from over Loop 494. Note new paving (right) in front of a new subdivision which will be called the Northpark Enclave.
A little farther east, contractors have laid an asphalt base that stretches for several more blocks. Concrete will soon follow.
Note the base for new paving on the right.
Also note above the gentle outward curve of the road on both sides. This is where surface roads will split to make room for the bridge over the tracks and Loop 494.
Junction Boxes by Loop 494
Contractors are in the process of forming two cast-in-place junction boxes on either side of the UPRR tracks that parallel Loop 494.
They finished two bores under the tracks in October. Now, they are creating the junction boxes, one on either side of the tracks. Together, will help convey stormwater to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.
All this work is taking place under ground and is invisible from the road.
Looking down at the rebar that will reinforce the walls of the western pit between Loop 494 and the tracks.Work is just starting on the eastern junction box in front of Self-U-Storage.
Sidewalks between US59 and Loop 494
Looking west and people working on sidewalk near Exxon Station.Wider shot shows the south sidewalk will soon stretch all the way to US59.
Next Steps
Ralph De Leon, the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority project manager for the Northpark expansion project, says the next steps will be:
Opening up all the westbound lanes between Loop 494 and US59
Opening up all the eastbound lanes on both sides of Loop 494
Finishing the driveways on the outbound side of Northpark east from the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.
In the meantime, pack your patience. And focus on how nicely this will all work when complete.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/5/25
2090 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20251103-DJI_20251103142117_0357_D-1.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-11-05 15:59:412025-11-05 16:11:22Northpark Update: Building Blocks Falling into Place
8/8/24 – In the last year, the Northpark Drive expansion project hit several snags. But one by one, project partners seem to be overcoming the hurdles.
Contractors discovered utility poles and gas lines in their way. Permits to bore under the railroad and bridge over it took longer than expected. Delays forced changes in plans to keep crews busy. And eventually, when project managers ran out of alternative options, contractors had to shift crews to other jobs.
After months of delays that hampered progress, hope is finally on the horizon.
Paving the Way for Faster Progress
The pace of construction could soon accelerate again.
CenterPoint has moved all of its facilities east of Loop 494 and only a few conflicts are left west of 494.
Entergy is almost done removing its east-to-west poles at Northpark/494. This will let contractors complete the storm water drainage system, construct new feeder roads, and build at-grade vehicle crossings over the rail tracks.
Comcast, Tachus, AT&T, PS Lightwave, MCI, Optimum, BrightSpeed, and Crown Castle have either finished relocating their facilities, submitted relocation plans under review at the City, or received Permits for relocation. In the last case, they have also provided schedules to the TIRZ
A new water main will allow service to be transferred from Porter SUD to City of Houston. This same water main also serves the newly installed fire hydrants along Northpark.
Contractors and UnionPacific have resolved right-of-way issues. Work should start on the rail crossings later this year.
Project managers have acquired additional rights of way from private property owners
Alternate plans are in place for rerouting traffic
Entergy has submitted Plans for permits that will let them bury their power lines west of 494 and underneath the railroad tracks on Northpark Drive.
Most of these changes, while barely visible, are highly critical.
Improved Working Relationship with Entergy
Project Manager Ralph De Leon predicts motorists could soon see visible progress. Brian Garcia, Entergy’s customer service manager, agrees.
Both men cite an improved working relationship. Weekly meetings between their teams have reportedly resolved most technical, permitting, and scheduling issues.
Next Steps
Harper brothers has finished burying culvert down the center of Northpark. Now the company will begin installing culvert on the north side of the street westward. It will eventually connect to the system at Self-U-Storage.
Looking west at extent of culvert installation. From here, culvert will move north/right to make room for surface turn lanes and a bridge over the railroad tracks and Loop 494.
The next leg will go under the railroad tracks and Loop 494. It will connect the eastern and western sections of the storm water drainage system.
In general, the next major steps for the Northpark Drive Expansion include:
Shifting westbound traffic toward the center
Burying drainage culverts on the north side of the street.
Building permanent access roads on the north.
Shifting traffic back to the permanent lanes.
Keep your fingers and tire jacks crossed. Working out many of these unforeseen issues delayed the project 188 days so far. The delays also forced Harper Brothers Construction to divert some of its crews to other jobs to keep them busy.
Photos of Work to Date and In Progress
Crews today worked on bringing power to new, temporary traffic signal locations.
Crews worked on three of the four corners of Northpark and Loop 494. Old power lines on the fourth corner (lower right) were previously de-energized and poles topped. Comcast will reportedly move its cable on those poles next week.Crews are also spreading and compacting dirt over installed culverts.(Looking W toward US59)Ditto in the opposite direction.Looking east toward Diversion Ditch.
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.
On 7/27/23, I interviewed Ralph De Leon, Northpark project coordinator for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ 10) and Kevin Perkins, a project manager for HNTB, one of the contractors on the job. The discussion covered both the eastern and western phases of the project from Woodland Hills Drive on the east to US59 and beyond on the west.
Since Tuesday, the contractors have made visible progress. Let’s cover that first. Then I’ll cover some surprising facts I learned about the project, including flood-mitigation plans; why the project has taken so long; how it will expand to 10 lanes near the railroad and Loop 494; parts of the project that will be elevated; bridge reconstruction; Atlas-14 conflicts; and more.
Box Culverts Arrive
By mid-day today, contractors had box culverts stacked several blocks in the median between Russell-Palmer Road and Flowers of Kingwood. They also had three excavators working Thursday, compared to one on Tuesday. And they were cutting concrete in the cross-overs.
Looking west from the diversion ditch (foreground). Only the 66″ round concrete pipe by the first excavator was there on Tuesday.Looking east down the Northpark Drive medianin opposite direction.Those rectangular culverts measure 6’x8′.Note men cutting concrete in the median between Flowers of Kingwood (upper left) and the fireworks stand (out of frame, lower right).
The 6×8 box culverts stacked in the distance will extend under the cross-over and connect to the round concrete pipe using the junction box stacked in front of the four round pipes. See below.
Box culverts were stacked up to the red rib truck in the background.
The box culverts will convey 35 square feet of stormwater compared to slightly fewer square feet for the round pipe.
That “step-down” as stormwater moves toward the diversion ditch will provide inline detention.
Also note that the existing culverts under the crossovers provide even less conveyance/storage than the new pipe. The old pipes were much smaller and frequently become clogged with weeds and grass due to long maintenance intervals.
According to Perkins, the new pipe/culvert solution offers less friction from end-to-end. The pipes shouldn’t become clogged like the old pipes did because grass and weeds won’t grow in them. Also, their consistent dimensions under the cross-overs should let more water pass through faster.
To make sure water can get into the culverts quickly during heavy rains, contractors will use extra large inlets, similar in size to those used on freeways.
Why Project Has Taken So Long
De Leon and Perkins discussed approval delays at length, mostly related to multiple groups giving input and approvals.
The project goes into, out of and back into the City of Houston.
It straddles two counties, each with different leadership and regulations.
A TIRZ, several MUDs, homeowner associations, commercial associations, KSA and Lone Star College are also involved.
Harris County Flood Control District is reviewing all the plans and approvals.
TxDoT has final say over design criteria.
Funding will come from State, Federal, and local authorities.
The Union Pacific (UP) Railroad has had multiple changes in leadership since the project started.
Gaining utility easements and rights of way has taken much longer than expected. For instance, Entergy wants 50 months to move a SINGLE transformer, almost half again as long as it will take to build the ENTIRE bridge over 494 and the UP railroad tracks.
Getting all those dominos to line up has challenged everyone involved.
Project Will Expand to 10 Lanes Near Loop 494
Where the western phase of the project crosses Loop 494 and the UP railroad tracks, traffic surveys indicate that 80% of the traffic will go over the bridge. Regardless, TxDoT requires two lanes of feeder road in each direction to handle local traffic not going over the bridge. Six lanes of bridge and four lanes of feeder will require some property acquisition still to be completed. Not all of the expansion will fit over the center ditch.
Pedestrian Underpass
The eastern phase of the project will contain a pedestrian underpass similar to others found throughout Kingwood. Engineers hope to keep water out by making the entrances higher than surrounding areas so water drains away. The tunnel will be 10 feet wide to accommodate special extra-wide wheelchairs for people with curved spines. Ten feet will accommodate two such wheelchairs moving in opposite directions.
Elevated Roadway with Cheek Walls
In certain areas that experience repetitive flooding, especially east of the drainage ditch where Bens Branch cuts under Northpark Drive, the road will be elevated. Feathering out the bed toward the sides would require killing hundreds, if not thousands of trees. So instead, contractors will elevate the road using “cheek walls.” Highway 59 makes extensive use of cheek walls for the same reason – to conserve space and allow trees to grow.
Two 10-Foot Sidewalks to Lone Star College
West of 59, contractors will build two 10-foot sidewalks along Rock Creek south of Northpark. The sidewalks will help cash-starved Lone Star College students ride bicycles to class when weather permits. Katherine Perrson, now retired head of the college, made the request.
Leaving Room for Diversion Ditch Expansion
The City has hired a contractor called NBG Constructors to clean out the diversion ditch under both Northpark Drive bridges and return the channel to its original as-designed capacity. Over the years, sedimentation has constricted the flow as you can see below.
Note accumulated sediment constricting flow under bridge.
Eventually, Harris County will widen the diversion ditch. HCFCD rated it one of the two most important projects in Kingwood. As part of the Northpark Expansion project, both bridges will be rebuilt, but with enough width to accommodate eventual expansion of the ditch.
Meets Harris County Atlas-14 Requirements
When complete, the project will meet Harris County Atlas-14 requirements for 77339 which are more stringent (about 40% higher) than Montgomery County’s. That’s because virtually all of the water associated with this project will drain into Harris county. MoCo standards are lower because Montgomery averages requirements across the entire county. Rainfall drops off with distance from the Gulf.
Detention Basins and 59 Entry
To reduce the chance of flooding near 59, contractors will build two detention basins on either side of Northpark at 59. They will connect with each other underground and also connect with another basin and channel north of Northpark via an 8 foot pipe.
Timetable
All this won’t happen overnight. De Leon is working on updating the timetable and will post it with a new project website that gives Kingwood and Porter residents weekly or bi-weekly updates. More news to follow, including a deeper dive into the drainage analysis and how some water will be diverted around Northpark.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/27/23
2158 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/20230727-DJI_0112.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-07-27 21:15:072023-08-17 15:42:12Deeper Dive into Northpark Expansion, Drainage Plans
