The Woodlands Loop? New traffic study recommends concept

Brown & Gay Engineers, which was commissioned by the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office and Woodlands Road Utility District No. 1 to conduct an origin-destination traffic study of vehicles traveling in and around The Woodlands, has recommended a loop concept to help divert traffic from cutting through The Woodlands. less Brown & Gay Engineers, which was commissioned by the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office and Woodlands Road Utility District No. 1 to conduct an origin-destination traffic study of vehicles ... more Photo: Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office Photo: Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office Image 1 of / 39 Caption Close The Woodlands Loop? New traffic study recommends concept 1 / 39 Back to Gallery

A recently completed study of traffic inside and just outside The Woodlands concluded that a loop around the master-planned community might be the best option to divert cut-through traffic and keep vehicles moving more smoothly.

The loop would amount to an approximately 34-mile circumference using existing roads, including Interstate 45, Texas 242, FM 1488, FM 2978, Hufsmith Kuykendahl Road and the Grand Parkway back to I-45 to form the route. The recommended projects would call for cooperation of -- and funding from -- other governmental entities at the local, state and federal levels.

Brown & Gay Engineers conducted the "Origin-Destination Study" at the request of the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office and The Woodlands Road Utility District No. 1. It cost approximately $60,000, split between the two entities. The goal was to study traffic flow through areas of The Woodlands and outlying corridors by tracking vehicle habits through Bluetooth devices inside vehicles and equipment at key gateways surrounding the community. The sampling took place over a two-week period in two 72-hour increments last November (Tuesday through Thursday, Nov. 8-10 and Nov. 15-17).

"We know The Woodlands is a destination," Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said. "But we didn't have a good idea of where these people are coming from and how they are getting into The Woodlands.

"I just wanted to identify vehicles and where they're going."

In addition to the loop, the study calls for:

* Working with the Texas Department of Transportation to alleviate traffic congestion on I-45 and at Woodlands interchanges

* Widening sawdust road to eight lanes from I-45 to Sawmill/Sawdust Road by the Starbucks, then six lanes along Grogan's Mill to Woodlands Parkway

* Constructing a horseshoe from Budde/Richard Road circling under I-45 and looping back to Rayford Road to minimize traffic at the intersection of I-45 and Rayford/Sawdust

The Woodlands Loop

Megan Siercks, a senior project manager at Brown & Gay, said the loop concept is to look at roads that could be used, if improved. While it wouldn't be a true loop, like 336 in Conroe or 610 in Houston, by adding lanes and widening the identified thoroughfares, traffic should flow better even with the lights on those roads, she said.

While the distance may be longer, it will be quicker, Siercks said.

"Create a functionality of flow with the improvements," she said.

"It's not so much the distance as it is the time ... balance of finding the path of least resistance."

Those recommended improvements are:

* FM 1488: Widen FM 1488 from four lanes to six lanes from Interstate 45 to FM 2978. That falls in Commissioner Charlie Riley's Precinct 2. Noack is proposing using the remaining $66 million in pass-through toll money from the 2005 road bond that the state still owes the county. The right of way for the widening already is owned by the county, according to Noack.

* FM 2978: As previously reported by The Courier, the state is funding the $23 million project to widen the 6.5-mile stretch from FM 1488 south to Conroe-Huffsmith. It was delayed due to the relocation of utilities and redesigning a sound wall along the route. It will be widened from a two-lane undivided road to a four-lane roadway, with a two-way continuous turn lane, wide shoulders for bicycles and a sidewalk in various locations on the east side of FM 2978. The funds are from Proposition 1, passed by voters statewide in 2014.

* Interstate 45: Noack and a couple of members of The Woodlands Township board met with U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, recently to discuss the possibility of federal funding to construct more lanes on I-45 through South Montgomery County, either by widening the highway or creating an elevated expressway above the existing lanes. Noack also wants to work with TxDOT on improving interchanges exiting and entering I-45.

"We need better access off of the freeway to get into The Woodlands," Noack said.

"Half the people traveling through the I-45 corridor do not want to stop in The Woodlands ... so give them a clear path around it and allow for less-impeded traffic."

Noack also has met with state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, regarding a plan to secure state funding as well for the highway improvements, and they plan on setting up a meeting with TxDOT.

The plan also includes widening Hufsmith Kuykendahl Road by working with Harris County Precinct 4.

"It's certainly an option to mitigate traffic through The Woodlands," Noack said of the loop.

Traffic Flow Patterns

The Brown & Gay study tracked vehicles coming into and leaving The Woodlands at various gateways, including Interstate 45 from the north and south, Hardy Toll Road, Kuykendahl, Gosling, FM 2978, Hardin Store Road, FM 1488 from the west, Honea Egypt, and Texas 242 from the east.

It tracked vehicles that were heading to destinations in The Woodlands, those that used The Woodlands as a cut-through and those that "passed through," which meant passed by The Woodlands using surrounding roads but did not enter the community.

Some of the major conclusions of the study:

* Sawdust road generates significant traffic from I-45, Hardy Toll Road and Grand Parkway as a "back door" to residential areas and because of the commercial development. Approximately 20 percent of the traffic traveling along the highway corridor exits Sawdust, resulting in the recommendation for widening the road to eight lanes and asking TxDOT to consider improvements to the I-45 interchange there, including a possible flyover.

* Approximately 40-50 percent of the traffic traveling I-45 through South County bypasses The Woodlands, calling for more highway lanes so traffic doesn't get congested at the I-45 interchanges, such as at Rayford/Sawdust, Woodlands Parkway and Research Forest.

* Approximately 15 percent of traffic from the major thoroughfares east of The Woodlands travels to the Town Center during peak morning traffic hours because it is the main employment hub in the area.

* Traffic along Texas 242 from east of I-45 accounts for 30 percent of the daily traffic in The Woodlands at peak hours in the morning and evening.

* Traffic from West Montgomery County (Hardin Store Road, FM 1488, FM 2978) accounts for approximately 30 percent of the traffic in The Woodlands.

Cut-Through Traffic

Cut-through traffic has been a controversial topic in The Woodlands since the proposed extension of Woodlands Parkway from FM 2978 to Texas 249 was placed on the May 2015 road bond election, which was shot down by overwhelming opposition in The Woodlands.

The controversy has continued, as Riley revealed plans earlier this year to connect Mansions Way, a quarter-mile south of Woodlands Parkway off of FM 2978, to Dobbin Huffsmith Road, and ultimately to Texas 249 by developers when they construct their portion.

A majority of Woodlands residents have opposed opening up any corridor that promotes more traffic coming from the west through The Woodlands.

The Brown & Gay study showed that 5 percent of the total daily traffic to The Woodlands is cut-through traffic from FM 1488, Hardin Store Road and FM 2978.

The study shows that approximately 62,564 vehicles per day enter The Woodlands at either side (FM 2978 or I-45) of the three east-west corridors: Woodlands Parkway, Research Forest Drive and Lake Woodlands Drive. Of those, approximately 10 percent (6,200 vehicles) travel the distance of the roads and actually cut through The Woodlands. According to the data, 2,600 of those vehicles start or finish at FM 1488 west of FM 2978 and another 1,000 start or finish at Hardin Store Road. Around 1,700 wind up or start north of FM 2978 along Honea Egypt, while 900 travel to or from Harris County on FM 2978 to the south.

The study shows that 13 percent (3,400) of vehicles entering Woodlands Parkway at FM 2978 or I-45 cut through the community, while 12 percent (2,500) do so along Research Forest and 2 percent (300) along Lake Woodlands.

However, Brown & Gay believes the traffic from the west, based on a lower sample size, is underrepresented because Bluetooth devices were less prevalent in vehicles traveling from that direction.

The study did not track north-south cut-through traffic. However, it showed that Kuykendahl and Gosling roads are the top two choices for commuters entering The Woodlands as an alternative to Interstate 45, with the highest percentage of vehicles on those roads traveling to homes on the west side of The Woodlands.