SUGAR LAND, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales outlined a broad range of road and mobility projects during a March 25 presentation to the Fort Bend Regional Partnership in Sugar Land, citing rapid population growth as the driving force behind the county’s infrastructure push.
Morales said Fort Bend County is on track to reach 1 million residents within the next few years, with projections approaching 2 million by 2050. He said 653 homes were sold in Fort Bend County in January alone, with 258 of those sales in Precinct 1, where the average home price has risen more than 28% since 2021 to $494,000.
“Mobility and infrastructure are the top priorities for Precinct 1 and Fort Bend County in general,” Morales said.
Bond Projects
Morales said all 26 projects in Precinct 1 from the 2023 mobility bond are under design. He said remaining projects from the 2017 bond, including both phases of Fulshear-Gaston Road, are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2027. Seven projects from the 2020 bond remain at various stages of design and construction.
He said the county is preparing for a potential mobility bond in November 2027, with all precincts asked to prepare project wish lists for the county auditor’s office.
Grand Parkway
Morales highlighted progress along the Grand Parkway, where new lanes and frontage road segments have been completed. He said the last right-of-way parcel — the Home Depot at Fry Road — was purchased recently, clearing the way for seven related projects to be submitted to the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council call for projects. HGAC’s board elected to fund all seven.
That funding totals $83.4 million in federal funds and $16.4 million in state funds, with Fort Bend County contributing $6.2 million to complete the corridor improvements.
When completed, the project will result in continuous frontage roads along the Grand Parkway from Interstate 10 in Harris County south to the Westpark Tollway, on both sides.
FM 723: Avenue D to FM 1093
Construction is underway on a project widening FM 723 from two to four lanes between Avenue D in Rosenberg and FM 1093. The 9-mile project, which began in December 2023, includes concrete paving, drainage and bridge work, along with raised medians, sidewalks and elevated sections to address drainage concerns. Completion is projected for 2027-2028.
Morales said the project was extended to run as a single continuous corridor after redistricting placed the entire stretch into Precinct 1. He said the expansion will significantly improve mobility along the corridor.
FM 1463
Morales acknowledged that the 6.86-mile expansion of FM 1463, which began in February 2022, has been difficult for residents and the city of Fulshear. The project is managed by TxDOT to alleviate traffic on a vital, growing corridor.
“It has been an issue,” he said, adding that the project likely needed more contractors. He said he expects the project to be completed sometime next year.
FM 1489 / SH 1093 Intersection
Morales said a dangerous intersection in Simonton at FM 1489 and SH 1093 will receive a temporary roundabout, fully funded by TxDOT as a maintenance project — a designation he said he secured through his relationship with a former TxDOT district engineer. He said the configuration may change once the Westpark extension into Simonton is completed.
Westpark Toll Road Extension
The first two miles of the Westpark Toll Road extension, running west from FM 723 to Katy-Fulshear Road, are open. Morales said completion of the full corridor is expected by the third quarter of 2026.
The long-term goal is to extend Westpark all the way into Simonton and to the river, with a planned terminus at FM 1489. Morales said schematic design for that phase is underway but acknowledged community concerns from residents in the Simonton area who moved there seeking a rural lifestyle. He estimated it could be eight years before construction begins on that segment.
“I may not even be here when the construction starts, but at the end of the day we’ve got to plan ahead,” Morales said. “You can’t wait.”
FM 359
Citing growth along the FM 359 corridor near the Fort Bend-Waller county line — including a planned Lamar CISD campus — Morales said he intends to move forward with expanding FM 359 from the Fulshear city limits to IH-10. He said the city of Fulshear passed a resolution in support of the project.
Texas Heritage Parkway
Morales said the county is working with the engineer of record for the Fort Bend Toll Road Authority to determine an alignment for extending Texas Heritage Parkway southward from the Westpark Tollway. He said development of more than 7,000 to 8,000 acres along and south of the Brazos River makes the extension increasingly necessary.
The long-term goal is to connect the Texas Heritage Parkway south to U.S. 90 and ultimately to Interstate 69, which he said would create a north-south route from south Fort Bend County to Interstate 10. He said a toll bridge over the Brazos River is likely the only viable option for that crossing.
Railroad Underpass
In response to an audience question, Morales said a stalled project to expand the railroad underpass on Avenue H between Richmond and Rosenberg — which ran into utility and title issues — although not in Pct 1 is currently in redesign and is expected to move forward.
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