Williamsburg Connection Advances
On behalf of the constituent MUDs and ESD 48, One Creek West has proposed the construction of the "Williamsburg Connection", a six-foot sidewalk to replace the existing dirt path along Franz Road. This path is used by Morton Ranch students who live in Williamsburg Settlement, Williamsburg Colony, and the new apartment communities on the north side of Franz Road. While the 400 or so students who attend the Morton Ranch schools are eligible for Katy ISD bus service, many students elect to walk to or from school. Parents have noted that the current walk path is unsafe, particularly before the sun rises and during rainy conditions.
A review of all high school and junior high campuses in Katy ISD shows that these students face the highest daily traffic rate of any campus without sidewalk access
The proposed sidewalk would be located on the north side of Franz Road. It would extend approximately 5,100-ft, from Mason Road to the entrance of the Elation at Grandway West apartments. The potential for sidewalks along the east side of Franz Road is being assessed.
There are technical challenges associated with the proposed route of the sidewalk. In addition to commercial development at the corners of Mason Road/Franz Road and Elrod Road/Franz Road, the section from the CenterPoint substation to Elrod Road has several interceptor drains – which indicate that additional drainage investments may need to be incorporated into the project. In addition, the right-of-way adjacent to Williamsburg Colony is highly sloped, requiring a retaining wall that adds cost to the project.
The proposal is being evaluated by Precinct 4, and a decision is expected in the fall of 2025.
Cullen Park Trail Connection
The Cullen Park Trail Connection will connect 29.9 miles of existing trails on the north and south sides of Interstate 10. These trails include the Cullen Park and Mayde Creek Trails on the north side and the Terry Hershey, Mason Creek, and George Bush Park trails on the south.
The City of Houston has been awarded a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant from TXDOT for the portion of the Cullen Park Path along Barker Cypress (Segment 1). This grant provides 90% of the construction funding. We expect the City of Houston will begin work on community outreach, design, and permitting in the second half of 2025, with the current estimated construction window in the first half of 2026.
This segment will be a new side path along Barker Cypress Road. A side path is a 10’ wide shared-use path with a minimum 5’ separation from the road. There will be a standard sidewalk on the Corps of Engineers property on the east side of Barker Cypress Road.
Segment 2, along South Park View from Barker Cypress to Saums, will be a separate project. We have been awarded funding to develop a detailed engineering design, under Harris County Precinct 4's Projects 4 People (P4P) 2025 Call for Projects. We are working now with Harris County to develop a scope of work and expected roles of the County and City of Houston. We anticipate that the City of Houston will use those funds to develop an engineering plan that we will can then use in the 2026 Call for Projects for the actual construction of Segment 2.
Since Segments 1 and 2 will be separate projects, they may not be built at the same time.
Segment 2 along South Park View Drive consists of filling the sidewalk gaps to provide a continuous pedestrian access route from Barker Cypress to Saums Road. Three crosswalks would be added, and the existing maintenance drive to the Cullen Park parking lot would be upgraded for access. Bicycle accommodation will be provided, but additional community outreach is needed to coordinate the bike lane design with safety and parking concerns along Park Row.
This trail connection would replace the existing path along Barker Cypress Road, used by cyclists and pedestrians today. Despite heavy traffic along Barker Cypress and the lack of adequate space, this path is used frequently by residents on the north side of I-10. As with many corridors in the Greater Houston region , this path is decidedly unsafe. Indeed, as recently as August 2019, a male cyclist traveling on Barker Cypress Road was struck and killed by a vehicle at South Park View Drive.
But it is the trail’s important contribution to our quality of life – helping to make the area north of I-10 a place where people want to live. In our view, this project will benefit our community, not only from a safety perspective for cyclists, but by attracting new, younger residents to the growing apartment communities - who value and increasingly demand walking and hiking paths - and by positively affecting the satisfaction by all residents toward the community in which they live.
Connecting Mayde Creek Schools to Neighborhoods and Parks
A coalition made up of Emergency Services District (ESD) 47 and two Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) was awarded a sidewalk/sidepath project under Harris County Precinct 4’s “Places for People” (P4P) program. This new program engages the local community to identify and plan sustainable infrastructure projects, such as parks, trails, sidewalks, and drainage improvements. Under the 2024 Call for Projects, Harris County Precinct 4 will fund 80% of the total cost of the project, with the local partners funding the remaining 20%.
The “Mayde Creek Coalition” proposal consisted of sidewalks and dual-use sidepaths along Greenhouse Road and Saums Road. The purpose of the project is to give the school kids who attend the Mayde Creek elementary, junior high, and high schools safe passage to and from their homes – as well as to improve the connectivity of surrounding neighborhoods to Cullen Park, the West Park Preserve, and the Cullen Park Trail.
Precinct 4 combined the project with its ongoing “Sidewalks 4 Precinct 4", a commitment by Commissioner Lesley Briones to build 50 miles of sidewalks in 2024-2025. Harris County Precinct 4’s, Sidewalks 4 Precinct 4, has committed $20 million to complete these projects. The program, which launched in March 2024, came out of a data-driven analysis that started last year.
Sidewalks 4 Precinct 4
Perhaps the most visible example of Precinct 4’s commitment to our community is the construction of sidewalks connecting neighborhoods to schools, churches, and other key destinations for families. The first phase of the Sidewalk 4 Precinct 4 program – a $20 million project to build 50 miles of sidewalk in Precinct 4 – is nearing completion.
The purple lines represent sidewalks typically built when the neighborhood was constructed. They tend to be narrow (4-ft) and some are in pretty poor condition. The light green lines are the sidewalks built by the County prior to the Sidewalks 4 Precinct 4 program. They are in good condition and generally 5- or 6-feet wide.
The sidewalks built under the "Sidewalks 4 Precinct 4" program are shown as the yellow lines in the above graphic. The salmon-colored lines are the sidewalks funded by the Mayde Creek Coalition (ESD 47, MUD 238, and West Park MUD) and Harris County Precinct 4. The coalition contributed 20% of the project cost to demonstrate to Precinct 4 the dire need for sidewalks along Greenhouse and Saums Road. They were slated to be the first sidewalks to be built in the community, but delays in the agreements needed between all parties slowed construction. During 2024, sidewalks were built along both sides of North Fry Road, along Morton Road serving the Westfield and Silvermill communities, along Greenhouse Road north of Morton Road, and along Greenhouse Road south of Saums Road. Additional sidewalks have been constructed along Morton Road near the Waterstone community, advancing along Morton Road east to Raintree Village.