Conroe Courier October 11, 2023

Oak Ridge North officials say they made history after awarding a $7.4 million construction bid toward an extension project that has been a decade in the making. 

Since 2013, officials held discussions over extending Robinson Road, turning the 3-lane road that cuts through the city into a 5-lane concrete roadway with curb and storm sewer system, according to city documents. The road is often used by people coming from The Woodlands, and has seen increasing traffic as the area continues to grow, officials said. 

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“I started working as the city secretary in 2013,” said Heather Neeley, who’s now the city manager. “There was already discussions and town hall meetings about Robinson Road and how they were going to solve the traffic problem.” 

Officials are making progress after announcing they awarded the construction bid for the project to Ballast Point Construction Inc., a Katy-based company. The company was awarded a total of $7,423,161 for the construction of the project. 

The city received funds for the project in 2019 via a certificate of obligation through its tax increment reinvestment zone of commercial properties, Neeley said. 

“We wanted to take the burden off residential properties,” she said. “So, none of their tax dollars are going towards this project.” 

Mayor Paul Bond called the awarding of the construction bid “monumental” for the city. 

Once the construction is finished, officials plan to add a plaza district, which would create a “market-street style environment,” officials said. 

Not only do we look forward to the road once the construction starts, but also, we get to focus on the plaza district, which will be a crucial piece of the city going forward,” Bond said. 

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The road project is expected to be finished sometime in 2024, if there are no unexpected delays, Bond said.Â