KATY, TX (Covering Katy News) - Expect to see the widening of Interstate 10 from Katy to Waller County to get underway soon, now that $730.6 million in state funding has been approved for the project.
The freeway will be widened from Mason Road in Katy to FM 359 in Waller County. Funding for the project comes from a $142 billion Texas Transportation infrastructure package, announced by Governor Gregg Abbott on Friday.
"Through this record transportation investment project, the State of Texas will further improve roadway congestion and safety to meet the growing needs of Texans in our large metros, rural communities, and everywhere in between," Abbott said.
In Katy, there will be an extension of the frontage roads from Pederson Road to Katy Mills Boulevard. The project will also reconstruct I-10 to add two managed lanes and two general-purpose lanes. The freeway from Mason Road to Katy Mills Boulevard will be re-striped to add the new managed lanes.
TxDOT will also reconstruct the intersections at Pin Oak, Woods, Pederson, and Igloo roads to improve north-south traffic over the freeway.
TxDOT
Interstate 10 expansion from Mason Road in Katy to FM 359 in Waller County.
TxDOT says the expansion is happening to improve safety and reduce congestion.
"Throughout the past few years, the project area has experienced growth in commercial development, including warehousing and distribution centers, which is projected to continue," TxDOT's Lauren Munoz said during a June 2022 public presentation. "The increased development has created traffic congestion and delays along I-10 and at intersections. The existing highway infrastructure does not provide adequate mobility to accommodate traffic volumes projected for the next 25 years."
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Several new warehouses along the Katy Freeway, including this 1-million-square-foot Amazon facility have increased traffic in the area.
TxDOT also has safety concerns about the 13-mile stretch.
"Crash rates on this segment of I-10 are higher than average crash rates on similar roadways in Texas, which results in potentially unsafe travel conditions and reduced mobility," Munoz said.
The project will be built in three or four phases beginning in Katy, passing through a small section of Fort Bend County, and ending in Waller County. Once it gets underway, construction will take about four years.