At Monday night’s meeting of the City of Katy’s city council, a number of transportation projects moved forward.

Several of the projects are designed to ease congestion and improve traffic flow in the Pitts Road area on Katy’s west side.

· Council authorized the Katy Development Authority (KDA) to use up to $342,936.10 in METRO funds for a traffic signal project at the intersection of Pitts Road and Cane Island Parkway. A city spokesperson said that it would take three to four months to acquire the materials for the signal and that it should be operational by January 2025. Councilmember Dan Smith said the project is badly needed, saying that there were three accidents at this location in under three weeks in February. Katy Chief of Police Noe Diaz said that the department does routine car counts of the area and that the traffic is heavy.

· Council also authorized the mayor to sign an interlocal agreement with KDA for the Pitts Road at Morton Road Intersection Improvement Project and purchasing right-of-way for the project. The plan will use up to $1,187,997.00 in METRO funds for the acquisition of three acres of land for right-of-way. “It has been a long-time goal to line up these intersections,” said Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris, noting that the project would bring METRO money back to the Katy community instead of going elsewhere.

· A purchase of 17.1825 acres of land for the Pitts Road Detention Pond project was also approved, in an amount up to $3,440 000.00. Harris said this project would not only improve drainage in the area but would provide a site for a water well as well as adding more green space to the Leyendecker Landing project.

Also on Katy’s west side, the extension of FM 2855 along Brookline Road to I-10 was also approved. This project, requested by TxDOT’s Houston District, will connect FM 2855 to the feeder road, City Administrator Byron Hebert said.

The design and construction of the Nelson Way Extension and Bridge, using up to $497,820.00 in METRO funds, was approved. The project will require nine to twelve months of design, followed by another 12 months for construction, with completion anticipated in 2025, city officials said. The road will provide an alternative for Katy commuters during the upcoming construction scheduled for I-10, Harris said.

In other action, council:

· Authorized the mayor to sign a sponsorship agreement with UP Art Studio, LLC, for a traffic box mural, located at the intersection of Franz Road and Katy Hockley Cut-off Road.

· Unanimously approved the nomination and confirmation of Chris Harris as Mayor Pro Tem. “There is no other choice for me other than Chris,” said Mayor Dusty Thiele. “He represents the city very well.”

Richard Baker, now retired from British Petroleum, was recognized as “Senior Citizen of the Year” in a proclamation read by Thiele. Baker volunteers at the city’s Fussell Senior Center, 5370 E. Fifth Street, where he has earned the unofficial title of “community husband” for his handling of miscellaneous repairs and issues. Baker also runs the model trains at the Johnny Nelson Museum, 6002 George Bush Drive, during functions such as the “Coffee with the Mayors” and often spends his own money in keeping the trains going, Thiele said.

The next meeting of city council is scheduled for June 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Katy City Hall, 901 Avenue C in Katy.