Conroe wins roughly $37 million in regional transportation funds to widen Foster Road; city’s local share about $7 million

Council members were briefed March 12 that the Houston‑Galveston Area Council (HGAC) has awarded regional transportation funding to widen Foster Road from FM 1314 to Frasier Street.

Councilman Wood and city staff described the award as approximately $37 million in total transportation funds, with roughly $29 million coming to the City of Conroe and about $7 million in local match responsibility. Staff said the project will convert the current two‑lane road to a four‑lane boulevard with curb and gutter, sidewalks or active‑transportation facilities on at least one side (a federal funding requirement), storm drainage improvements, a new water and sewer utility infrastructure, and an upgraded railroad crossing and signal at Frasier Street.

Why it matters: staff said the corridor currently operates as a two‑lane route with open ditches and that the work is intended to ease congestion, improve safety (notably for students at Runyon Elementary and the Oscar Johnson facility) and resolve long‑standing drainage problems already in the city’s capital improvement plan.

Timing and process: staff said the project has been in development for years and was resubmitted to HGAC after redesign; the project documentation dates to prior submittals in 2008 and a resubmittal in 2023. City staff recommended moving into the design phase; council discussion noted that construction bid and award likely are years away, with staff commenting that construction bidding could be in the early 2030s and design would occupy the next two years. Staff also said implementation will coordinate with TxDOT because the federal funds and state processes will require permitting and approvals.

Questions and local context: council members asked about traffic during construction, the potential for induced travel after widening, and whether the corridor would include pedestrian and speed‑management features around schools. Staff said traffic engineering and a traffic impact analysis will be part of design and that a traffic signal is planned at the Frasier intersection. Council also discussed the project’s role in connecting east–west corridors and that improved infrastructure will reduce city CIP needs by replacing planned drainage projects.

Next steps: staff described design kickoff and coordination with TxDOT and HGAC. No formal council action or appropriation was taken at the March 12 workshop.