Jersey Village begins Jones Road extension

It may have taken close to 20 years to launch, but officials with the city of Jersey Village and Harris County were no less pleased to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Jones Road extension project last week.
This project means improved traffic flow in northwest Harris County, increased economic development for the city of Jersey Village, and an unlocked business potential for local property owners," said Mike Castro, Jersey Village city manager. It means increased opportunities for us all."
Jersey Village Mayor Russell Hamley said he recalled questioning why Jones Road stopped at U.S. 290 when he was searching for a home in the Jersey Village area in the 1990s. He said Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Eversole has been on board with the project concept since Jersey Village city officials launched discussions with Harris County about extending Jones Road south of U.S. 290 and across the Union Pacific Railroad tracks into undeveloped territory.
Today is a great day the documents are signed, engineering is done and it is time to get started," Hamley said. We are already moving forward and, in approximately one year, we will be driving on this road."
Heavy equipment has started clearing sections of the new roadway's path.
Four-lane roadway
The new four-lane Jones Road extension will run from the Jones Road-U.S. 290 intersection, south under the highway, across the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and a 55-acre undeveloped tract of land, across a few tracts with light industrial development to a point on FM 529 midway between Wright Road and Charles Road.
Harris County is funding the $3.9 million project. That includes about $1.35 million the city of Jersey Village is contributing to install detention and drainage facilities, and to run utilities under U.S. 290 onto undeveloped tracts so that future developers would have access to city water and sewer lines.
Corridor growth
Jones Road was slated for expansion because of economic and business growth along the corridor, and the need for improved traffic flow. The county will eventually extend the road further to access West Little York Road.
Dale Brown, a former Jersey Village city manager who was instrumental in getting the project on the city's drawing board, said it was exciting to see the project move forward. In addition to Harris County Precinct 4, Brown said, the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce played a pivotal role in making things happen by working with Pate Engineers to donate services on the front end for a preliminary right-of-way study.
Right-of-way study
During the course of that study, agreements for right-of-way donations were secured; environmental concerns were studied; and drainage issues were examined.
The road will allow developers to access land on the south side of U.S. 290, which equates to additional property and sales tax revenues, municipal courts fees, and water and sewer revenues for the city, Brown said.