KATY and FULSHEAR, Texas (Covering Katy News)—When it comes to public frustration over the ongoing FM 1463 reconstruction project, Fulshear city and business leaders understand why people are upset with the pace of construction that began in February 2022.
A Texas Department of Transportation official said in a Covering Katy story published this week that the project is expected to be completed by late 2026.
The $108 million, 6.7-mile expansion of FM 1463 involves expanding the road from two lanes to six lanes north of Spring Green Road, and from two lanes to four lanes with raised medians south of Spring Green Road.
Fulsher Mayor addresses concerns
A part of FM 1463 is the eastern border of the City of Fulshear, and Mayor Don McCoy has received his share of feedback about the project. He said he also follows social media to get a read on public opinion about the project.
"Everybody seems to talk a little more freshly and brazenly on there," McCoy said, adding that one frustration is why FM 1463 is taking so long to complete in comparison to the Westpark Tollway, which he said is moving along briskly.
"They see workers out there (on the Westpark Tollway) all the time, so they can't connect the dots as to why one project is going so fast and the other road is taking forever," McCoy said. "Westpark Tollway is a joint venture between the Fort Bend County Tollway Authority and TxDOT."
Another difference, McCoy said, is that FM 1463 has driveway and retail entrances that the Westpark Tollway does not. McCoy said he tells people when they get on FM 1463, look at how many driveway entrances or retail entrances there are along the road.
"You've got to account for all that traffic, whereas the Westpark Tollway, there is no traffic to account for," McCoy said. "So that's why they can move faster."
Dealing with unintended delays
Beyond the complexity of managing existing development, McCoy said unexpected discoveries have also slowed progress.
"Fulshear is 200 years old, and it's burned down a couple of times," McCoy said. "And over time, power lines, gas lines, water lines, even propane tanks that we have found buried, when you start digging, you uncover things that are not on a particular map."
McCoy said when such items are found, the project undergoes a delay while the utilities get contacted and asked to schedule removals.
Business operators await project completion
Chris Nelson, general manager and director of operations at Orleans Seafood Kitchen, 6230 FM 1463, is among those who are waiting for the project to be finished.
"I spoke with the Department of Transportation recently and they said they're looking at next year, it's supposed to be finished," Nelson said. Asked for a reaction to that answer, Nelson said, "Well, as far as I know, they haven't hit any of their scheduled benchmarks that I knew of, at any point. I drove the entire length of it last week, probably about a week ago, and they've actually accomplished more at the other end, closer to I-10 than I had expected to see."
The construction is still a topic of discussion at the restaurant, which opened in 2022 before construction began.
"My guests talk to me more about the road construction than anything else we talk about," Nelson said. "Everybody talks about it, everybody coming in. And from what I gather, people are just completely fed up with the construction and they avoid 1463 at all costs."
Helping businesses during the construction
McCoy has spoken with Nelson and other business owners and operators along FM 1463, and he knows the construction is hard on businesses because it limits access.
"Sometimes they don't know if a business is open or not," McCoy said. "It's hard to get to, but you know, people still make their way into that Walmart. They still go shopping at TJ Maxx and they endure it."
The city has tried to help those businesses along FM 1463, McCoy said.
"We made an ordinance, a little addendum until the construction is done, so we can be more lenient on their signage to let people know that they're open," McCoy said.
Despite everything, McCoy expressed high hopes for a finished FM 1463. He said he tells people to be patient.
"When it's done, it's going to be beautiful," McCoy said. "You're going to love it."