KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Plans to widen FM 529 are moving forward, with TxDOT acquiring property it needs to expand the highway between the Grand Parkway and Waller County.
The property acquisition is an important step toward construction, but drivers should not expect the widening to begin soon. Current regional transportation plans put construction of the first section in 2029 and the next section in 2030.
TxDOT plans to widen FM 529 from two lanes to six lanes between the Grand Parkway and Katy-Hockley Cut-Off Road. From Katy-Hockley Cut-Off Road west to FM 362, the highway would be widened from two lanes to four.
The approximately 12-mile project would also include 10-foot-wide paths for pedestrians and bicyclists along both sides of the highway.
TxDOT begins acquiring property
Widening FM 529 requires more land than TxDOT currently owns along the highway.
TxDOT has estimated it will need about 109 additional acres for the overall project between the Grand Parkway and FM 362.
State records show property acquisition is underway along the first two sections of the widening. In April, the Texas Transportation Commission authorized TxDOT to use eminent domain, if necessary, to acquire a number of properties associated with the projects. The commission's records identify the property acquisitions separately under CSJ 1006-01-084 and CSJ 1006-01-085.
That does not necessarily mean TxDOT will have to take the properties through eminent domain.
TxDOT first attempts to purchase needed property from the owner. If the state and property owner cannot agree on a sale, TxDOT can use eminent domain and begin what is known as a condemnation proceeding.
Despite the name, condemnation in this case does not mean a house or building has been declared unsafe. It is the legal process the government can use to acquire private property for a public project when it cannot reach an agreement with the owner. The property owner is entitled to compensation.
The Transportation Commission's action gives TxDOT permission to use that process for the identified properties if agreements cannot be reached. It does not establish that every property will ultimately have to be acquired that way.
Property impacts have been part of the discussion surrounding the project for years.
Following the project's 2022 public hearing, TxDOT Public Information Officer Emily Black said residents raised concerns about intersection safety, traffic from other roads and “specific right of way or access concerns related to the commenter's property.”
Construction remains years away
The widening is divided into separate projects rather than one construction job stretching from the Grand Parkway to FM 362.
The first section, from the Grand Parkway to Katy-Hockley Cut-Off Road, is identified as CSJ 1006-01-079. It would expand FM 529 from two lanes to six, with three lanes traveling in each direction.
Current regional transportation plans put construction of that section in fiscal year 2029. The project had previously been programmed for 2027, meaning the current schedule represents a two-year delay from the earlier regional plan.
The second section, CSJ 1006-01-074, runs from Katy-Hockley Cut-Off Road to the Waller County line and would widen FM 529 from two lanes to four, with two lanes in each direction.
That section is currently programmed for construction in fiscal year 2030, also later than its previous 2027 schedule.
A third widening project, CSJ 1006-02-009, would continue the four-lane roadway from the Waller County line to FM 362.
The construction years are not guarantees. Property acquisition, utility relocation, design, funding and other work still must occur before construction can begin.
Growth has driven plans to widen FM 529
TxDOT has been working on plans to widen FM 529 for years.
During the public review process, the agency said the project was intended to improve mobility and safety along the corridor. Residents who participated in the 2022 comment period raised questions about intersections, additional traffic entering FM 529 and how the widening could affect individual properties.
The corridor serves major master-planned communities including Elyson and Anniston, along with other residential and commercial development across northern Katy and eastern Waller County.
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