Montgomery County took a step forward on a $70 million project to build a 5-mile bypass around the city of Magnolia by approving an advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation.
The agreement will allow the county and state to negotiate and determines which party is responsible for construction and funding the road project.
The project includes five miles of four new lanes stretching from FM 1488 west of Magnolia and looping around the city and connecting with the Texas 249 Tollway.
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The project is expected to be put out to bid in 2029.
In June 2022, the commissioners’ court approved a $120,000 contract with Houston-based WSB for engineering services for the project including preparing engineering drawings, cost estimates, coordination with TxDOT on funding, environmental services, and coordination with the Union Pacific Railroad.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley included the county’s $10 million required match for the project in the $280 million road bond in 2015.
“That has been sitting down at TxDOT for 10 years,” Riley said in a previous commisioners’ court meeting of the long-planned project.
Riley said the project will help relieve the Magnolia gridlock at FM 1488 and FM 1774.
According to information from TxDOT, the construction will include overpasses at FM 1774, the Union Pacific railroad crossing and at Texas 249.
Depending on the final design, the project will require about 155 acres of additional right of way and could potentially displace 11 residential properties and some commercial structures.
