The cities of Conroe, Montgomery County, and The Woodlands Township reached an agreement to complete the final stretch of David Memorial Drive, ending years of delays tied to funding and jurisdiction issues.
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A long-awaited $10 million initiative to extend David Memorial Drive to Texas 242 is set to move forward following local officials' finalization of a multi-agency funding and construction agreement, paving the way for completion of the remaining 1,500 feet of roadway.
According to the agreement, Montgomery County is set to assume responsibility for designing, constructing, and maintaining the extension. The county is set to contribute $2.5 million to finance the City of Conroe’s portion of the project. Conroe is set to reimburse $501,000 from an account maintained with The Woodlands Township, earmarked for regional mobility enhancements.
On Thursday, the township board approved the funding.
Representatives from Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is set to facilitate the essential right-of-way for the roadway, effectively eliminating a significant obstacle to the construction process.
City Administrator Gary Scott announced that the agreement represents a major breakthrough following years of halted discussions.
“Today marks an exhilarating moment,” Scott remarked at the council meeting on Tuesday. “The construction of a sturdy road is essential and long overdue.”
The extension of David Memorial Drive was initially proposed in 2014, but it has encountered numerous delays due to unresolved funding commitments. By 2024, construction was completed, except for the final segment, as Conroe withheld $2 million, leaving the project unfinished.
The roadway, although situated beyond the city limits, falls within Conroe’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, complicating funding and coordination among local entities.
Ritch Wheeler, the Precinct 3 commissioner and former mayor of Shenandoah, emphasized that the project is essential to enhancing mobility in a swiftly expanding corridor. He observed that traffic congestion on the Interstate 45 frontage road has intensified recently.
“You successfully brought it to completion,” Wheeler remarked, commending the leadership of Precinct 4 for moving the agreement forward. He had earlier characterized the traffic in the corridor as “a disaster.”
According to local officials, the newly completed extension is set to offer an alternative route for drivers, aiming to alleviate congestion on adjacent roadways, especially in the vicinity of the hospital and nearby developments.
A construction timeline has yet to be revealed.
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