Westpark Tollway, Grand Parkway connectors to open in October

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas -- After more than two years of construction, direct connectors between the Westpark Tollway and Grand Parkway will soon open to drivers.

The video above is from a previous report: 'It's unfortunate;' Residents near Westpark Tollway share frustrations due to project's construction

In a nutshell

The connectors aim to alleviate frontage road congestion by allowing east- and westbound drivers on the Westpark Tollway to access northbound Grand Parkway without exiting to the frontage roads and going through multiple traffic signals, officials said at an Oct. 2 dedication ceremony for the $53.6 million project.

Quote of note

Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, who initiated the project as the Katy area's commissioner prior to Fort Bend County's precinct redistricting in 2022, said he foresaw a "tremendous traffic problem" as the county's population growth moved west.

"This enhancement will significantly improve transportation efficiency, safety, and overall traffic flow," he said in a statement. "It will be a game-changer for those who often find themselves caught in peak-hour congestion, allowing for much smoother travel."

The details

The project will open in mid-October upon the Texas Department of Transportation completing a section north of the intersection, said Lisa Castañeda, the deputy operating officer for the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority. It's funded by a joint venture from the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority, Fort Bend County and local districts.

As it's part of the tollway system, it'll cost drivers a toll rate of $0.75 for two-axle vehicles with active toll tags to take the connectors, according to a FBCTRA news release.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy said he believes the connectors will improve mobility and connection between precincts.

"No longer it is that people in Katy feel like they're disconnected from folks in Mission Bend," he said. "In fact, now, I hope that folks see themselves as a little bit more as neighbors, that we all live here in Fort Bend (County), and there's no longer these barriers between us."

Zooming out

While the connector project nears its end, work continues elsewhere on the Grand Parkway and Westpark Tollway. TxDOT continues to widen the Grand Parkway between I-10 and FM 1093, with plans to complete the projects in fall 2025, TxDOT officials previously said.

The FBCTRA also began construction in August on a $71.4 million project to extend the Westpark Tollway westward from its end just west of Spring Green Road to west of Texas Heritage Parkway near Charger Way, according to the FBCTRA release. Work on the extension is set to wrap up in summer 2026.

SEE ALSO: Westpark Tollway expansion design nearing completion almost 8 years after announcement

What's next

Initial planning could also begin in 2025 on the tollway's future westward extension into Simonton to FM 1489, Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales said. While the project is likely years from breaking ground, Morales said local entities must begin work now.

"If we don't start now, it will really end up with a bottleneck like we have today," he said. "So my goal is to start now because it'll probably be ... eight to 10 years before we can get a shovel in the ground, but you have to do the planning now."

This article comes from our ABC13 partners at Community Impact Newspapers.