CITY OF KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — The Katy City Council, on Monday, approved two construction bids totaling $4.1 million for major roadway improvements and traffic signal modifications at the intersection of Morton Road and Katy Hockley Cut Off Road.
The first contract, worth $1.9 million, went to Allgood Construction for traffic signal modifications and roadway improvements. The council approved the bid in a 4-1 vote, with Ward B Council Member Rory Robertson casting the lone dissenting vote.
Robertson, who said he drives Morton Road daily, expressed concerns about traffic congestion from having four stoplights within a mile of each other. He cited a recent experience where he said it took him 15 minutes to navigate the area at 9:30 p.m. due to poorly synchronized lights.
"I have levied my frustrations with everyone," Robertson said, adding that while he was a fan of lights because they help traffic flow, in this case, he feels adding another light will be a hindrance.
"It's a light that feels that's going in for developers," Robertson said. "I cannot support this one."
City Engineer David Kasper defended the project, explaining that Harris County would own and operate the new signal and synchronize it with the existing stoplight at the Morton Road-Katy Fort Bend Road intersection. He said a traffic study showed there would be unacceptable delays without the additional signal.
Kasper explained that synchronization is achieved by running cables between lights, and coordination is easier when a single entity owns and operates multiple signals. He contrasted this with Pin Oak Road, where the Texas Department of Transportation, the City of Katy, and Fort Bend County own successive stoplights, making synchronization more challenging.
The new signal and roadwork will be installed on the western side of the Green at Katy Park development, located at the northwest corner of Katy Hockley Cut-Off and Morton Road.
"It's a pretty intense development going into that corner," Kasper said, adding that the new stoplight would relieve some of the pressure at the Morton Road-Katy Fort Bend Road intersection, where a new HEB sits on the northeast corner of the intersection.
The council unanimously approved the second bid of $2.2 million to CE Barker Ltd. for drainage construction and paving at the intersection.
According to Kasper, work on the project is expected to begin within 30 days.