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Montgomery County takes lead on Old Conroe Road; county to pay Conroe about $3.4M for prior work
Summary
Conroe approved an interlocal agreement transferring the Old Conroe Road project to Montgomery County, which will take responsibility for rights-of-way and construction and will reimburse the city approximately $3.4 million for prior expenditures and engineering work; council members said the move avoids tens of millions in potential city costs.
Council approved an interlocal agreement on Jan. 22 transferring administration of the Old Conroe Road federally funded project to Montgomery County.
Staff recounted a long history of the project, originally estimated at about $125 million and later revised to approximately $221 million. Because much of the roadway lies outside Conroe city limits, staff said county assumption better aligns fiscal responsibility with geography. Under the agreement the county will take over records, rights-of-way and LJA engineering files, build the roadway to applicable standards, and reimburse the city roughly $3.4 million for Conroe's prior costs and outstanding engineering invoices.
Why it matters: council members said the interlocal removes an estimated $40 million to $50 million potential liability from the city and allows previously reserved CIP funds to be redirected to city priorities such as water and sewer projects. Multiple elected officials and staff thanked Commissioner Riley, county staff and regional partners for the negotiated outcome.
Council discussion stressed that Conroe did not give up material project rights and that no trade-offs were required for the county to assume the larger funding share. Council adopted the interlocal by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will convey rights-of-way, transfer engineering records and coordinate with county teams on construction timelines and local matching obligations for the portion of road to the city plant where a 20% local match remains the city's responsibility.
