Over 100 Katy-area residents attended the Katy stop of Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones’ “Listening Tour” Saturday at Houston Community College, 22910 Colonial Parkway. Many of the attendees were members of local homeowners associations (HOAs) or municipal utility districts (MUDs).

After “welcome” messages from Mayor of Katy Dusty Thiele and HCC President Zachary Hodges and following her opening remarks, Briones and her staff solicited feedback from attendees in four key areas: transportation, health, public safety and flooding. Discussion stations manned by a Precinct 4 staff member were set up for each topic, with participants’ comments captured on paper. Attendees were allotted two 15-minute opportunities to give their feedback in these key areas. The “flooding” station appeared to draw the most interest. The commissioner also took questions and feedback from the audience, on matters ranging from dumping sites to transportation issues.

Flooding concerns were addressed by Jesal Shah, chief delivery officer for the Harris County Flood Control District, who outlined key projects for flood mitigation in the area. Shah said that his philosophy was to reduce use of “impervious surfaces” such as concrete and to use more nature-based solutions (such as native plants and grasses which absorb and trap more storm water). The Flood Control District’s key projects underway are the rehabilitation of channels upstream of both the Barker Reservoir and the Addicks Reservoir, he said. Shah also updated the status of the “tunnel study,” a project building a system of underground tunnels that would store and remove excess water from the area. He said the study is still in the investigative stages and that the implementation cost would likely be in the billions – but that other solutions would likely be in the billions as well. He said that other future projects under consideration included the deepening of both the Addicks and Barker reservoirs to remove excess silt and to increase storage capacity.

Infrastructure updates were provided by Dan Dymytryshyn, director of engineering and construction for Precinct 4, and Jessica Cohen. Dymytryshyn described two studies currently underway in the Katy area – one focused on mass transit and the other on potential mobility improvements in the east part of Katy:

· West Harris County Transit Demand Study, expected to be completed by the end of 2023:

o Assessing public transit demand in Precinct 4 corridors.

o Identifying capital improvements to make existing road and pedestrian infrastructure transit supportive.

o Evaluating potential transit service types and routes to match demand.

· Katy East Community Plan & Mobility Study, projected to be completed by June 2024.

o Examine existing community characteristics and complete a review of mobility needs.

o Identify infrastructure improvements that support the community, foster multimodal connectivity, diverse housing options, a mix of land uses, and a sense of place.

o Provide recommendations for future infrastructure improvements.

He also reviewed the status of current projects under construction in the Katy area:

· Clay Road, a $13.3 million investment by Precinct 4 which is in two phases:

o Peek Road to Ventana Prairie Drive, which has been fully reopened to four lane traffic; there is minor clean up work to be completed in next several weeks.

o Porter Road to Ventana Prairie Drive, estimated to be completed in March 2024: Two lane traffic moved to new roadway and the storm sewer installation has been completed.

· Clay Road / Katy Hockley Road intersection, a $1.1 million investment by Precinct 4 with anticipated completion in the second quarter of 2024.

o Widen roadway to add left turn bays in all four directions and install traffic signal.

o Earthwork and drainage box pipe structure extensions currently in progress.

· Clay Road / Katy Hockley Cut Off Road intersection, a $1.3 million investment by Precinct 4 with work to be completed by the end of November 2023.

o Widen roadway to add left turn bays in all four directions and install traffic signal.

o Traffic signals energized on September 29.

o Project substantially complete, minor clean up items remain.

· Traffic Signals

o Peek Road / Castello Lakes Drive: Design commences Q4 2023 and anticipated construction completion Q1 2025.

o Peek Road / Grand Ventana Drive / Ginosa Trail: Traffic signal hardware on order, delivery by end of 2023; anticipated construction completion is April 2024.

o Peek Road / Elyson Falls Drive: Traffic signal hardware on order, delivery Q2 2024 and anticipated construction completion is Q3 2024.

The infrastructure team also outlined future projects planned for the Katy area:

· Katy Area intersection upgrades, a $4.7 million investment by Precinct 4 consisting of upgrades at six existing signalized intersections within the Katy area.

o Extended or widened left turn bays, right turn bay upgrades and signal improvements.

o Construction start is scheduled for Q1 2024 with construction complete in Q3 2024.

· North Katy area intersection upgrades, a$12+ million investment by Precinct 4 involving eight intersection upgrades and traffic signal installations at key locations north of Katy.

o Widen roadway to add left turn bays in all four directions and install traffic signal if warranted.

o All intersection upgrades to be completed by the end of 2025 (Depending on Traffic Study results).

· Peek Road four lane widening north of Grand Parkway to south of Clay Road, a $1.4 million investment by Precinct 4.

o New road includes curbs, concrete pavement, and underground drainage.

o Land acquisition in progress, with an expected finish Q4 2023 with construction start in Q2 2024 and completion in Q1 2025.

· Porter Road four lane widening and reconstruction from Morton Ranch Road to Clay Road, a $4.5 million investment by Precinct 4.

o New road includes curbs, concrete pavement, and underground drainage.

o Land acquisition in progress, finish Q4 2024, with construction start in Q2 2025 and completion in Q1 2026.

· Roland Road drainage improvements to mitigate flooding issues on properties adjacent to Roland Road and in Katy Pointe neighborhood, a $27.8 million investment by Precinct 4.

o Land acquisition currently in progress, projected finish Q1 2024.

o Utility relocations scheduled for Q3 2024 with construction start in Q4 2024 and completion in Q4 2025.

· Clay Road, a $40+ million investment by Precinct 4 with a new road including curbs, concrete pavement, 6’ wide sidewalk and storm drainage.

o Design currently in progress, finish Q3 2024.

o Utility relocations to begin inQ3 2024 with construction start in Q2 2025 and completion in Q3 2026.

The team also listed projects being done by the City of Katy:

· Katy Hockley Road – Morton Road to Clay Road: four lane widening and reconstruction; drainage improvements. Anticipated construction to start Q2 2024.

· Morton Road – Katy Hockley Road to Pitts Road: four lane widening and reconstruction; drainage improvements. Anticipated construction to start Q3/Q4 2025 (after Katy Hockley Road is complete).

· Katy Hockley Cut Off Road – H-E-B Access to Clay Road: four lane widening and reconstruction; drainage improvements. Anticipated construction to start late 2024 or early 2025.

Four other projects are slated to begin in the next two years, staff said. These new roads would include curbs, concrete pavement, sidewalks and/or shared use paths and underground drainage. Design start is planned for Q1 2024 with construction start in 2026 or later. Timing of construction is dependent upon funding availability, they said.

· Clay Road – Katy Hockley Road to Katy Hockley Cut Off Road.

· Porter Road – Clay Road to Stockdick School Road.

· Stockdick School Road – Porter Road to Peek Road.

· Peek Road – Stockdick School Road to Beckendorff Road.

Briones will conduct a final “listening tour” in Hockley on Saturday, December 2nd at 10 a.m. at the Hockley Community Center, 28515 Old Washington Road in Hockley.