State_Highway_249_(Texas)

Texas State Highway 249

Texas State Highway 249

Highway in Texas

State Highway 249 (SH 249), also known depending on its location as West Mount Houston Road, the Tomball Parkway, Tomball Tollway, MCTRA 249 Tollway, or the Aggie Expressway, is a 49.443-mile (79.571 km) generally north–south highway in Southeast Texas. The southern terminus is in North Houston at Interstate 45 (I-45). The current northern terminus of the highway is east of Navasota at SH 105.

Quick Facts State Highway 249, Route information ...

Route description

West Mount Houston Road section

The section of SH 249 along the east–west section between I-45 and West Montgomery is called West Mount Houston Road, a local arterial road. West Mount Houston Road, however, actually extends east past the intersection of SH 249 at I-45 to an intersection with Airline Drive.

Tomball Parkway section

The section of SH 249 between West Montgomery Road and Spring Cypress Road is called Tomball Parkway. South of its intersection with Hollister Road, Tomball Parkway is a local arterial road, whereas north of it, it becomes a non-tolled freeway until it reaches Northpointe Boulevard, where the Tomball Tollway begins.

Tomball Tollway section

Phase I

Tomball Tollway shield

Phase one runs for 6 miles (9.7 km) from just north of Spring Cypress Road, the current terminus of the existing free lanes to just north of the existing Tomball bypass. The Tomball Tollway is three lanes in each direction that are used to bypass seven stoplights and will only accept electronic toll-tags (EZ Tag, TollTag and TxTag) as no cash payments will be allowed; the total cost of the toll for HCTRA's segment is $1.50 for two-axle vehicles, while the SH 249 frontage roads will remain free to all drivers.[2][3] Construction of phase one began in fall 2013 and was completed on April 12, 2015.[4]

Phase II

Phase two extends the tollway into Montgomery County from Business SH 249-B to Sentinel Oaks in Montgomery County north of Spring Creek. This $335 million project was overseen by the Harris and Montgomery County toll road authorities.[5] Construction on Phase 2 commenced in fall 2016 and was opened to traffic on December 19, 2019.[6]

MCTRA 249 Tollway section

Westbound Zion Road at SH 249. Tomball Tollway is maintained by HCTRA, while the 249 Tollway is maintained by MCTRA. SH 249 is signed only on the frontage roads.

From Spring Creek to FM 1774 in Pinehurst, the tolled mainlanes of SH 249 will be maintained by the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority.[7] Signed as MCTRA 249 Tollway, the first section to open was between Spring Creek and Sentinel Oaks (coinciding with Phase two of the HCTRA segment) on December 19, 2019. Construction on the next segment of MCTRA 249 Tollway from Sentinel Oaks to FM 1774 commenced in spring 2018.[6] The next section of MCTRA 249 Tollway opened from Sentinel Oaks to Woodtrace Boulevard on March 26, 2020. The remaining MCTRA segment connecting to the TxDOT maintained section north of Woodtrace Boulevard opened on August 8, 2020.[8][9] The total cost of the toll for MCTRA's segment is $1.47 for two-axle vehicles and, like HCTRA's Tomball Tollway, will only accept electronic toll-tags (EZ Tag, TollTag and TxTag).[10]

Aggie Expressway section

Segment 1A

From FM 1774 in Pinehurst to FM 1488 east of Magnolia, the toll road continues as SH 249 Toll, also known as the Aggie Expressway. The tolled mainlanes of Section 1A are maintained by TxDOT and were opened on August 8, 2020, with no tolls charged until December 2020. The cost to drive segment 1A is $1.95; however, unlike the HCTRA and MCTRA sections of the toll road, TxDOT allows a pay-by-mail option for all users in addition to EZ Tag, TollTag and TxTag, though at a higher cost per toll.

Segment 1B

Another eight miles of the Aggie Expressway from FM 1488 up to FM 1774 north Todd Mission opened to traffic on March 26, 2021. The current cost to drive segment 1B is $2.54 for two-axle vehicles, which took effect on the day of opening.[11][12][13][14]

Segment 2

The final segment of SH 249, Segment 2 of the Aggie Expressway began construction in late 2018 and was opened to all traffic on October 28, 2022. It is currently a 2-lane freeway with intermittent passing lanes that stretches from FM 1774 near Todd Mission to SH 105 east of Navasota.[15][16]

History

Originally a part of FM 149, the highway was given the designation of SH 249 in 1988.[1] The highway's importance grew after Compaq (later purchased by Hewlett-Packard) moved its headquarters close to the intersection of SH 249 and Louetta Rd.[17] In 2003, a portion of SH 249 in Tomball was renamed Business SH 249-B from Hicks Road to Holderreith Road. This is because of bypass that bypasses Tomball on the west side of the city. In 2015, SH 249 was extended northwest 24.4 miles from FM 149 and FM 1774 to SH 105 near Stoneham. A section of SH 249 from Woodtrace Boulevard to FM 149 was renumbered as a southern extension of FM 1774 in December 2019.[18] On June 25, 2020, the FM 1774 extension was modified so that it extended only over the frontage roads of SH 249 from FM 149 to Woodtrace Boulevard while the main lanes from Woodtrace Boulevard to FM 1774 and on to SH 105 retained the SH 249 designation. On August 8, 2020, the section of SH 249 from FM 1774 to FM 1488 was opened. On March 26, 2021, the section of SH 249 from FM 1488 to FM 1774 was opened.

Previously, SH 249 was designated on June 22, 1937[19] from then-SH 73 (now Interstate 10) near San Felipe north to the Brazos River. The route was redesignated on May 9, 1940, as Spur 99.[20] The route became part of Farm to Market Road 1458 on January 20, 1966.

Since the designation of SH 249, TxDOT had long-term plans to extend the highway to Grimes County. Continued growth in the Bryan/College Station, Conroe and northwest Houston regions have congested existing roadways, including SH 105 and FM 1774. Texas A&M University and businesses in the Bryan/College Station area would benefit from faster connections to Bush-Intercontinental Airport, the Port of Houston and the Texas Medical Center. A bypass of Magnolia was desirable because of the large traffic load every October due to the annual Texas Renaissance Festival. Decreased funding for road projects in recent years had stalled the extension of SH 249. However the rapid growth in the area has led to a renewed push in 2012 to build further segments.

Plans for the middle segments (Pinehurst–Todd Mission) and north segment (Todd Mission–Navasota) were revived by TXDOT in early 2013. TxDOT has formed a working group with local officials and stakeholders to discuss alternatives for the SH 249 corridor.[21][22][23] The segment from Sentinel Oaks to FM 1774 in Pinehurst (maintained by MCTRA) opened in spring 2020.[9] From FM 1774 in Pinehurst, north up to SH 105 in Grimes County, SH 249 was under the jurisdiction of TxDOT. The remaining portion of SH 249 in Montgomery County from FM 1488 to FM 1774 in Todd Mission was competed on March 26, 2021.[24][25] In Grimes County, the north segment was constructed as a non-tolled two-lane freeway.[26] Construction in Grimes County began in late 2018 and was completed in October 2022.[27][28][16]

Major intersections

All exits are unnumbered.

More information County, Location ...

References

  1. [1]
    Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 249". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  2. [2]
    Harris County Toll Road Authority. "Tomball Tollway". Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  3. [3]
    "HCTRA Projects: SH 249 Phase 1".
  4. [4]
    "Houston Newsmakers".
  5. [5]
    "HCTRA Projects: SH 249 Phase 2".
  6. [6]
    Lotz, Anna (August 8, 2018). "Hwy. 249 extension to Spring Creek on track for 2019 opening, additional openings to extend road to Magnolia in 2020 and Navasota in 2022". Community Impact Newspaper.
  7. [7]
    HCTRA System Map (Map). Harris County Toll Road Authority.
  8. [8]
    "New Hwy. 249 tolled lanes open in Pinehurst". Community Impact Newspaper.
  9. [9]
    McIntyre, Kara (January 30, 2020). "Opening of Hwy. 249 main lanes in Pinehurst delayed". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  10. [10]
    "SH 249" (PDF). Montgomery County Toll Road Authority. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  11. [11]
    "First stretch of 'Aggie Expressway' toll road opens Saturday". Houston Chronicle. August 8, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  12. [12]
    "SH-249 Expansion: A faster route to get to Aggieland is on the way". Click2Houston.com. KPRC-TV. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  13. [13]
    "Drivers to pay tolls on Hwy. 249 beginning Dec. 1". Community Impact Newspaper. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  14. [14]
    "New segment of 'Aggie Expressway' toll road opens along Texas 249". Houston Chronicle. March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  15. [15]
    "The Texas (TX) State Highway (SH) 249 Extension Project FAQs". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  16. [16]
    Surette, Rusty (October 28, 2022). "SH 249 is now open to all traffic in Grimes County". KBTX-TV. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  17. [17]
    Slotboom, Erik (2003). Houston Freeways. OF Slotboom. ISBN 0-9741605-3-9.
  18. [18]
    Dominguez, Catherine (December 12, 2019). "Montgomery County commissioners approve Texas 249 rename to FM 1774 near Pinehurst". The Courier of Montgomery County.
  19. [19]
    "Minutes of the June 21, 1937 State Highway Commission meeting" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation.
  20. [20]
    Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway Spur No. 99". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  21. [21]
    "MCTRA Projects: SH 249". Texas Department of Transportation. January 20, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  22. [22]
    Winkler, Liza (December 11, 2015). "TxDOT holds public meeting on updated Hwy. 249 extension plan". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  23. [23]
    "TxDOT Projects: SH 249". Texas Department of Transportation. April 3, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  24. [24]
    McIntyre, Kara (January 7, 2020). "Top story of 2020: Hwy. 249 main lanes to open in Magnolia by summer". Community Impact Newspaper.
  25. [25]
    "New Hwy. 249 segment from FM 1488 to FM 1774 in Todd Mission now open". Community Impact Newspaper. March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  26. [26]
    "SH 249: Todd Mission to Navasota (Schematics)" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. October 2, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  27. [27]
    Falls, Clay (September 19, 2018). "Work on new Highway 249 extension to start in Grimes County this fall". KBTX-TV.
  28. [28]
    Falls, Clay (April 12, 2019). "Grimes Co. leaders pleased with changes coming to Hwy. 249 extension". KBTX-TV.
  29. [29]
    Interactive Map of Houston Toll Roads (Map). Harris County Toll Road Authority.
  30. [30]
    "Tomball Tollway (toll rates) - Traveling North". Harris County Toll Road Authority. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  31. [31]
    Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business State Highway No. 249-B". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  32. [32]
    "249 Toll Extension Schematic: From Harris county into Montgomery county" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation.
  33. [33]
    MCTRA Toll Road Map (Map). Montgomery County Toll Road Authority. Retrieved May 29, 2022 – via ArcGIS Online.
  34. [34]
    "Aggie Highway Schematic (249 Toll - From Montgomery/Harris County line to the Montgomery/Grimes County line)" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation.
  35. [35]
    "State Highway 249 Project". TxTag. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  36. [36]
    State of the City: City of Magnolia Update (PDF). Winter 2020. p. 51. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  37. [37]
    "FM 1488 Magnolia Relief Route - TxDOT Public Hearing" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. September 7, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  38. [38]
    Thompson, Kayli (June 14, 2022). "Montgomery County Precinct 2 using toll road revenue to fund 3 road projects in Magnolia". Community Impact Newspaper. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  39. [39]
    "SH 249 - Todd Mission to Navasota with Schematics (249 Toll - From Montgomery/Grimes County line to SH 105)". Texas Department of Transportation.
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