Crowds Applaud Official Opening of FM 1488 Expansion(Montgomery, TX – March 10, 2009)
Crowds of people attended a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the first phase of the FM 1488 expansion project from Texas 242 to FM 2978. “This is a significant step toward improving the area’s mobility,” said Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Craig Doyal, one of several dignitaries who spoke at the event. “And on a broader scale, completion of this project is important because it is the first construction effort in the state to be completed through the unique ‘pass-through’ initiative.” Through the “pass-through” agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation, local governments or private entities pay for mobility projects and are later reimbursed by the state based on the number of motorists using the new thoroughfares. Montgomery County should receive its first check from the state in about 14 months. “This program has proven to be a success,” Delvin Dennis, engineer for TxDOT’s Houston District, told the crowd of onlookers at the March 4 event. The $69.6 million expansion includes converting the two-lane road to four lanes with a continuous turning lane. The project’s next two phases, from Texas 242 to Interstate 45 and from FM 2978 to Mostyn Road are on track to be completed in 2010. Attendees at the ribbon-cutting included Woodforest community general manager Virgil Yoakum, additional representatives from the Texas Department of Transportation, members of the Magnolia Area Chamber of Commerce and Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce, and employees with Pate Transportation Partners, which manages the Montgomery County Transportation Program. “Montgomery County accessibility is going to be greatly enhanced with not only this expansion of FM 1488 — one of the county’s busiest roadways — but also with the April opening of Lake Creek Bridge and Fish Creek Thoroughfare,” Yoakum said. Once open, Fish Creek Thoroughfare will connect Tomball to Conroe, running north through Woodforest, a project of The Johnson Development Corp., to FM 2854 in Conroe, where it currently ends. Construction is on tap to begin later this year on an overpass that will connect with the existing McCaleb Road and provide access to State Highway 105. Photo InformationFM 1488 ribbon-cutting.jpgMontgomery County dignitaries, representatives from the Texas Department of Transporation (TxDOT) and other well-wishers attended recent ribbon-cutting ceremonies to celebrate the official opening of the FM 1488 expansion from Texas 242 to FM 2978. Pictured holding the sign, left to right, are Woodforest National Bank’s Michael Richmond, Bobbie Watters, Tia Dahl and Robert Marling, Sheriff Tommy Gage, Commissioner Craig Doyal and Woodforest’s Development’s Virgil Yoakum.
About Woodforest Woodforest, a project of The Johnson Development Corp., is a 3,000-acre master-planned community surrounding Woodforest Golf Club, one of the top-ranked daily-fee golf courses in the Houston area. Offering a broad array of housing choices targeted to lifestyle-oriented buyers, Woodforest is slated for more than 5,500 homes and a full complement of retail and commercial properties. Located north of downtown Houston, Woodforest is five miles north of The Woodlands and six miles south of Conroe. Convenient access just seven miles west of Interstate 45 will be provided by Fish Creek Thoroughfare, the first new major north/south thoroughfare connecting Conroe in Montgomery County and Tomball in Harris County. For more information, visit www.woodforestdev.com or call 936.447.2800. About The Johnson Development Corp.The Johnson Development Corp. is an award-winning residential and commercial land development company involved in premier projects including master-planned communities such as Sienna Plantation, Fall Creek, Riverstone, Woodforest, Tuscan Lakes, Edgewater and Silverlake in Houston, Texas, and Towne Lake, BridgeMill and Lake Arrowhead in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1975, known for innovative master planning and today one of the largest and most successful land developers in both Houston and Atlanta, The Johnson Development Corp. has cultivated a strong reputation for vibrant, responsible development, with impeccably designed communities. For more information, visit www.johnsondevelopment.com.
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