A growing population and increased business growth along State Highway 6 is driving continued need for roadway improvements that should be complete later this year. In Missouri City, construction now is underway for raised medians from Dulles Avenue to past the Fort Bend Toll Road and just south of Darby Lane. The Texas Department of Transportation is managing the overall project, which begins at I-10 to fill in the gaps where medians currently do not exist along this Highway 6 corridor. During the next three months, work will concentrate from Voss Road in Sugar Land and through Missouri City.
She pointed out that where space allows, there will be median openings to allow turns, much like other sections of Highway 6 in Houston and Sugar Land that currently have raised medians.
During construction, three lanes will continue to be available for motorists both north- and southbound. Marvin also said that traffic control markers, including cones and barrels, will be in place to alert motorists of intermittent turn lane closures at traffic signals.
Project planning began in 2006 with the Houston-Galveston Area Council managing an access management study. It was based on historical mobility patterns and traffic analysis from I-10 to south of the Fort Bend Toll Road. Four public hearings were held to obtain citizen feedback, the latest in 2010. Missouri City’s Traffic Management Plan shows daily traffic counts between Dulles and Lake Olympia to be 23,000 and 27,000 each way, or around 50,000 motorists in 2008. Projections for 2015 are for 53,000 traffic movements in the Riverstone area, around 64,000 near Lake Olympia and nearly 70,000 by Sienna Parkway.
“We have received calls from residents concerned that medians will prevent their making immediate turns across traffic into shopping areas,” Marvin said. “It is true that our traffic patterns will change much like they have in other areas of the Houston region, where raised medians have been in place for years. Where median cuts are not available, residents can safely use traffic signals for turn movements. Based on these changing traffic patterns, the second phase of this project begins later this spring with the addition of turn lanes at major intersections.”
She also suggested residents take advantage of access management already built into this corridor through such streets as Hampton Road which allows rear access to businesses on the northwest side of Highway 6 at Murphy Road. Those conducting business on the south side of Highway 6 can travel a continuous interior roadway through parking lots north from Murphy Road to Riverstone Boulevard, eliminating the need for travel on Highway 6. Intermittent traffic signals on Highway 6 that are accessible along this route allow access to businesses on the north side of the highway.
Depending on the width of the raised medians, they will have a concrete surface, a brick looking surface or grass.
Federal matching funds will pay for 80% of the median project through Missouri City, with the City contributing $398,000.
Construction information is available on the City’s website, www.missouricitytx.gov. Just click on “Spring Roadway Construction” under Hot Topics. Updates also will be available on Missouri City Television.