The Texas Department of Transportation has given Montgomery County approval to move forward with a project that would realign ramps on Interstate 45 at the Hardy Toll Road, Rayford Sawdust Road and Springwoods Village Parkway.
Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack is spearheading the project and said the changes to the ramps would ease gridlock at the Montgomery and Harris county line.
“TxDOT is very interested in this project and appreciates that the county is investing local funds to advance the feasibility study of the proposed improvements,” said Sue Theiss, director of advanced project development for TxDOT’s Houston Division in a July 19 letter. “We look forward to collaborating with you on this very important and high-priority project.”
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“(The project) is a fix that helps drivers today and it’s a long-term solution that fits into the 2045 long-range solution,” said David Balmos, vice president of Minneapolis-based WSB & Associates.
WSB was recently selected by the TxDOT Houston District as a provider of engineering consultant services.
The state, Balmos said, started a study of I-45 from Beltway 8 to Loop 336 about five years ago. That study has generated several recommendations.
“The single most congested stretch of I-45 is from Hardy Toll Road to Woodlands Parkway,” Balmos said. “In 2017 traffic numbers it carried 250,000 vehicles a day. It is projected by year 2045 to carry 370,000 vehicles a day. The need is clear.”
Balmos said he is working with TxDOT to realign the ramps at I-45, Hardy Toll Road, Springwoods and Rayford Sawdust.
“It’s going to involve moving ramps north and south,” Balmos said.
TxDOT would use ramps that crossover each other and are vertically separated by concrete pillars that elevate one or more of the ramps. Braided ramps streamline traffic flow for drivers to reach their destinations.
“It just makes a whole lot of sense,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley said during a May meeting.
Balmos did not have a specific timeline for the project but said it is a “couple years out.”
