Sugar Land, TX – Sugar Land City Council recently approved a $3.2 million construction contract for the widening of University Boulevard.
The voter-approved project will include a new southbound and northbound lane from New Territory Boulevard to just south of Lexington Boulevard and intersection improvements along the corridor.
The improvements will include additional turn lane capacity at Lexington Boulevard, a double left turn at Wescott Avenue and median improvements at Branford Place and the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land to address community concerns, improve safety and enhance the flow of traffic.
Construction is expected to begin in June and be completed by the spring of 2025.
University Boulevard is an important north-south regional corridor that accommodates mobility for residents, access to important recreational amenities and supports tourism and economic development efforts that help maintain a low tax rate while funding the high level of services citizens expect. The intersection with U.S. Highway 59 has become critical to mobility within this corridor as growth continues in the surrounding areas, including the University of Houston-Sugar Land campus expansion, Smart Financial Center at Sugar Land, Brazos River Park, The Crown Festival Park and commercial development north and south of U.S. Highway 59.
The project was included in four general obligation bond propositions totaling $90.76 million decisively approved by Sugar Land voters on Nov. 5, 2019. The projects included in the propositions cover drainage, facilities, mobility and safety and were selected based on extensive planning through various master plans, City Council input and the results of citizen satisfaction surveys that indicated drainage, public safety and traffic/mobility are the top three priorities for residents.
Sugar Land voters approved more than $10.26 million in 2019 for street projects focusing on improvements to mobility and reinvestment into the city’s street network, including $1.7 million for the design and construction to widen University Boulevard. County voters approved an additional $1.6 million in Fort Bend County mobility bonds in 2013, 2017 and 2020 to fund the University Boulevard project.
“This University Boulevard corridor has seen tremendous growth in traffic during the past 15 years,” said City Engineer Jessie Li. “Our residents have been clear on the continued need to invest in mobility projects. We’ve worked hard to deliver on our promise from the 2019 GO Bond election.”
Staff will notify affected residents and adjacent property owners through HOA meetings and newsletters, the city’s website, door hangers, one-on-one communications, social media and portable roadway signs.
For more, visit www.sugarlandtx.gov/gobond.