APPENDIX J

MEDIUM AND LONG TERM PROJECTS

Appendix J – Medium-Term and Long-Term Project Recommendations

Information included within Appendix J was originally a part of the overall Plan document prior to

October 26, 2016 when the Plan was adopted. Per the direction of The Township Board of Directors, all

project recommendations that were identified beyond a five-year planning horizon were requested to

be removed from the Plan before adoption, and placed in an appendix to be viewed as-needed over

time. The information presented within Appendix J includes medium-term and long-term project

recommendations from a previous draft of Chapter 5 and Chapter 8.

Per the direction of the Board of Directors’ October 20, 2016 meeting, a few controversial projects that

were recommended along drainage or utility easements were illustrated in a red dotted line to show

those projects could be removed if so desired. After that October 20th meeting, the removal of all

drainage and utility easement shared use path projects were removed completely from the Plan as

illustrated in Figure J.4 at the very end of Appendix J. These projects were removed from the overall

Plan network maps due to concerns that the public brought to the Board’s attention regarding shared

use paths being potentially located behind people’s homes.

Medium-Term Project Recommendations

Medium-term projects improve upon the existing network with key facilities to provide direct routes to

some of the more disconnected areas of The Woodlands and were determined to be feasible within the

medium-term of six to ten years. Some of the listed projects may take more time to design as well as

more time to coordinate between various entities to implement than a short-term project

recommendation.

The following list is a description of each project recommended for the Medium-Term and shown in

Figure J.1 along with related Table J.1.

Shared Use Path

Bear Branch drainage easement shared use path would begin from the west at the Branch

Crossing Drive and Terramont Drive intersection, follow along the drainage easement under

Kuykendahl Road and under Cochrans Crossing Drive, continue north through Bear Branch

Sportsfields, and end at the pathway along Research Forest Drive. (Shown on map as “B”.)

Oak Ridge Drive utility easement shared use path would begin at Woodlands Parkway in the

north and continue to Nursery Road in the south. There would be various connections to

existing pathways along the shared use path. (Shown on map as “C”.)

Panther Branch drainage easement shared use path would begin at FM 1488 just west of College

Park Drive, follow along the drainage easement, turn east along the northern side of Research

Forest Drive, then continue south to meet up with Lake Woodlands Drive. (Shown on map as

“D”.)

Bike Lane

Terramont Drive/Branch Crossing Drive bike lane loop will follow along Terramont Drive

(northwest section of loop), connect to Branch Crossing Drive (north-south), and connect to

West Branch Crossing Drive (on the south). (Shown on map as “A”.)

Grogans Mill Road bike lane would start at Vision Park Boulevard in the north and follow along

Grogans Mill Road until Sawdust Road in the south. (Shown on map as “E”.)

Table J.1 Medium-Term Projects

Roadway Begin End Length (ft) Length (miles) Facility Type Cost Map Label

Terramont Drive/Branch Crossing Drive Terramont Drive Branch Crossing Drive 32,020 6.06 Bike Lane $ 1,212,854 A

Bear Branch Path Branch Crossing Drive Research Forest Drive 21,971 4.16 Shared Use Path $ 3,016,789 B

Oak Ridge Drive/Utility Easement Woodlands Parkway Nursery Road 8,661 1.64 Shared Use Path $ 1,189,222 C

Panther Branch Path FM 1488 Lake Woodlands Drive 26,804 5.08 Shared Use Path $ 3,680,397 D

Grogans Mill Road/Vision Park Boulevard IH 45 Southbound Fontage Road Sawdust Road 29,841 5.65 Bike Lane $ 1,130,317 E

Medium-Term Project Funding

Projects that were determined to be suitable for the medium-term improve upon the existing network

with key facilities that will provide more direct routes for access to some of the previously disconnected

areas of The Woodlands. With around eleven miles of shared-use paths, the network will take

advantage of the existing utility corridor to connect schools, parks, and recreational facilities with

neighborhoods. With twelve miles of added bike lanes, there would be a bicycle facility loop along

Terramont Drive and Branch Crossing Drive that would be safer for both drivers and bicyclists than the

existing shared road situation. The additional bike lanes will also provide another important north-south

route along Grogan’s Mill Road, providing access to The Woodlands Mall, park and rides, and schools, as

well as providing connections to east-west facilities. Please note that the Medium-Term Project Funding

Summary Table includes projects that have since been removed. Table J.2 includes remaining projects

which were combined into the revised Long-Term Recommendations and also projects which were

removed in the revisions.

Table J.2 Medium-Term Project Funding Summary

Figure J.1 Medium-Term Project Recommendations

Long-Term Project Recommendations

Long-term project recommendations are facilities that will complete an ideal network for recreational

and utilitarian purposes that will be feasible in eleven years or more. Over time, these projects should

be considered for implementation long-term, but can be reevaluated as development patterns change

as well as desires of the community.

The following list is a description of each project recommended for the Long-Term and shown in Figure

J.2 and listed in Table J.3.

Sidepath

Timberloch Road sidepaths will fill in gaps west of Grogans Mill Road to I-45 on the east.

St. Luke’s Way sidepath with follow St. Luke’s Way north-south and to the east towards I-45 and

extend south from St. Luke’s Way to Hope Road.

Mall Ring Road sidepath will follow along the northwest side of Mall Ring Road up to Pinecroft

Drive.

Woodlands Parkway sidepaths to fill gaps in the existing pathway system along Woodlands

Parkway from FM 2978 in the west to Branch Crossing Drive in the east, from Lake Woodlands

Drive to East Panther Creek Drive, and from Flintridge Drive to Forestgate Drive.

Six Pines Drive sidepath from Research Forest Drive in the north to Lake Front Circle in the

south.

Sidepath along FM 1488 from Kuykendahl Road on the west to College Park Drive on the east.

College Park Drive sidepaths to fill gaps along College Park Drive from FM 1488 to Windvale

Circle and from Northway Drive to Twinvale Drive.

Lake Front Circle sidepath from Grogans Mill Road in the west to I-45 in the east.

Research Forest Drive sidepath would start at Egypt Lane in the west and continue to Branch

Crossing Drive in the east.

Grogans Mill Road sidepath will begin at Millpark Drive in the north and continue south to South

Park near the Sawdust Park and Ride.

Sawdust Road sidepaths will fill gaps from Sawmill Road to South Park and from East of Grogans

Point Road to South of S. Millbend Drive.

Sidepaths along Kurkendahl road will fill a gap from Alden Bridge Drive to Crownridge Drive and

from Lake Woodlands Drive to Flintridge Drive.

Shared Use Path

Shared Use Path projects will follow along drainage and utility easements to connect existing

pathways and provide direct connections to neighborhoods to schools, parks, shopping centers,

and sports facilities.

Gosling Road shared use path will follow north-south along Gosling Road from Research Forest

Drive in the north to Creekside Forest Drive in the south.

Bike Lane

Alden Bridge Drive bike lane will begin at Shimmerwood Drive and continue to Cochran’s

Crossing Drive.

Branch Crossing Drive bike lane will begin at Terramont Drive and continue to Research Forest

Drive.

Cochran’s Crossing Drive will start at Flintridge Drive and continue to Research Forest Drive.

Crownridge Drive will have bike lanes the entire length of the roadway from Alden Bridge Drive

in the west to Alden Bridge Drive in the East.

Carlton Woods will have bike lanes starting at Sterling Ridge Drive transitioning to Flintridge

Drive that will continue to S. Panther Creek Drive.

Greenbridge Drive will have bike lanes from Research Forest Drive to College Park Drive.

Lake Woodlands Drive will have bike lanes from Lake Front Circle to IH-45 Service Road.

Millbend Drive will have bike lanes around the loop from Grogans Mill in the north to Grogans

Mill in the south.

Panther Creek Drive bike lane loop will follow around the entire Panther Creek Drive loop

(South, West, North, and East).

Shadowbend Place bike lane will start at Research Forest Drive in the north and continue to

West Panther Creek Drive in the south.

Sterling Ridge bike lane will begin at Branch Crossing Drive in the west and continue to Lake

Woodlands Drive in the east.

Woodlands Parkway bike lane will begin at FM 2978 and will continue to Lake Woodlands Drive.

Table J.3 Long-Term Projects

Roadway Begin End Length (ft) Length (miles) Facility Type Cost Map Label Sterling Ridge Path West Extension Player Bend Drive Branch Crossing 3,683 0.70 Shared Use Path $ 505,704 A.1 Woodlands Parkway FM 2978 Branch Crossing Drive 1,859 0.35 Sidepath $ 130,268 A.2 Woodlands Parkway FM 2978 Lake Woodlands Drive 17,728 3.36 Bike Lane $ 671,501 A.3 Gary Player Course Path W. Black Knight Drive Player Bend Drive 4,895 0.93 Shared Use Path $ 672,121 B.1 Research Forest Drive Egypt Lane Branch Crossing Drive 5,457 1.03 Sidepath $ 382,395 B.2 Sterling Ridge Drive Branch Crossing Drive Lake Woodlands Drive 10,630 2.01 Bike Lane $ 402,643 B.3 Garnet Bend Path Stoneyhurst Drive Sterling Ridge Park & Ride Path 1,317 0.25 Shared Use Path $ 180,834 C.1 Kuykendahl Road Alden Bridge Drive Crownridge Drive 2,606 0.49 Sidepath $ 182,614 C.2 Carlton Woods/Flintridge Drive Sterling Ridge Drive S. Panther Creek Drive 22,768 4.31 Bike Lane $ 986,239 C.3 Sterling Ridge Path East Extension Shawnee Ridge Circle Sterling Ridge Drive 9,388 1.78 Shared Use Path $ 1,289,045 D.1 Woodlands Parkway Flintridge Drive Forestgate Drive 2,523 0.48 Sidepath $ 176,797 D.2 Alden Bridge Drive Shimmerwood Drive Cochran's Crossing Drive 26,440 5.00 Bike Lane $ 1,081,674 D.3 Forest Gate Park Path Kuykendahl Road Sterling Ridge Drive 5,372 1.02 Shared Use Path $ 737,617 E.1 Kuykendahl Road Lake Woodlands Drive Flintridge Drive 3,668 0.69 Sidepath $ 257,033 E.2 Branch Crossing Drive Terramont Drive Research Forest Drive 6,343 1.20 Bike Lane $ 240,260 E.3 Bluff Creek Park Path FM 2978 Terramont Drive 3,638 0.69 Shared Use Path $ 499,526 F.1 Woodlands Parkway Lake Woodlands Drive East Panther Creek Drive 17,572 3.33 Sidepath $ 1,231,346 F.2 Crownridge Drive Alden Bridge Drive (East) Alden Bridge Drive (West) 11,149 2.11 Bike Lane $ 474,270 F.3 Nickaburr Creek Path Kuykendahl Road FM 2978 13,150 2.49 Shared Use Path $ 1,805,597 G.1 College Park Drive FM 1488 E. Windvale Circle 3,075 0.58 Sidepath $ 215,478 G.2 Cochran's Crossing Drive Flintridge Drive Research Forest Drive 24,871 4.71 Bike Lane $ 1,107,545 G.3 Sundance Park Path Research Forest Drive Nickaburr Creek Path; Sundance Park Path 5,816 1.10 Shared Use Path $ 798,582 H.1 College Park Drive Northway Drive East of Twinvale Drive 6,355 1.20 Sidepath $ 445,322 H.2 Greenbridge Drive Research Forest Drive College Park Drive 10,070 1.91 Bike Lane $ 381,431 H.3 Buckalew Elementary Path Millport Drive Nickaburr Creek Path 3,471 0.66 Shared Use Path $ 476,595 I.1 St. Luke's Way College Park Drive Hope Road 3,654 0.69 Sidepath $ 256,051 I.2 Shadowbend Place Research Forest Drive W. Panther Creek Drive 9,672 1.83 Bike Lane $ 366,356 I.3 Galatas Elementary Path N. Greenvine Circle Kuykendahl Road 9,596 1.82 Shared Use Path $ 1,317,605 J.1 St. Luke's Way St. Luke's Way IH-45 Service Road 1,141 0.22 Sidepath $ 79,955 J.2 Panther Creek Drive Loop Woodlands Parkway (East) Woodlands Parkway (West) 24,761 4.69 Bike Lane $ 1,364,733 J.3 Bush Elementary School Path Panther Branch Path Buckshot Lane 7,621 1.44 Shared Use Path $ 1,046,422 K.1 Six Pines Drive Research Forest Drive Lake Front Circle 2,369 0.45 Sidepath $ 166,006 K.2 Lake Woodlands Drive Lake Front Circle IH-45 Service Road 6,613 1.25 Bike Lane $ 450,877 K.3 Coldbrook Circle Connector Path Greenbridge Drive Coldbrook Circle 354 0.07 Shared Use Path $ 48,607 L.1 Lake Front Circle Grogans Mill Road IH-45 Service Road 4,243 0.80 Sidepath $ 297,325 L.2 Millbend Drive Grogans Mill Road Grogans Mill Road 14,183 2.69 Bike Lane $ 967,003 L.3 East Woodlands Country Club Path Bear Branch Lake Woodlands Drive 3,886 0.74 Shared Use Path $ 533,578 M.1 Mall Ring Road Pinecroft Drive West Mall Entrance 1,271 0.24 Sidepath $ 89,064 M.2 Powell Elementary Path Cochran's Crossing Millennium Forest Path 2,073 0.39 Shared Use Path $ 284,639 N.1 Timberloch Place Grogans Mill Road Waterway Court 3,096 0.59 Sidepath $ 216,950 N.2 Millennium Forest Path Research Forest Bear Branch Path 2,863 0.54 Shared Use Path $ 393,112 O.1 Timberloch Place 1200 Timberloch Place IH-45 Service Road 706 0.13 Sidepath $ 49,472 O.2 Alden Bridge Sports Park Path Alden Bridge Sports Park Cochran's Crossing Drive 2,210 0.42 Shared Use Path $ 303,450 P.1 Sawdust Road East of Grogan's Point Road South of S. Millbend Drive 3,350 0.63 Sidepath $ 234,749 P.2 Bear Branch Sports Fields Southwest Connector Path Bear Branch Path South of Golden Shadow Circle 3,987 0.76 Shared Use Path $ 547,446 Q.1 Grogan's Mill Road Millpark Drive Sawdust Road 4,867 0.92 Sidepath $ 341,052 Q.2 Gosling Road College Park Drive Creekside Forest Drive 27,316 5.17 Shared Use Path $ 3,750,698 R.1 Sawdust Road Sawmill Road South Park 3,176 0.60 Sidepath $ 222,556 R.2 FM 1488 Kuykendahl Road College Park Drive 3,092 0.59 Sidepath $ 216,670 S.2

Long-Term Project Funding

Long-term projects include facilities that will complete the ideal pedestrian and bicycle network for all

users. The completion of multiple north-south and east-west facilities for bicycles and pedestrians will

allow for a broad range of users travelling to a multitude of destinations on safe pedestrian and bicycle

facilities. In the long-term, over twenty miles of shared-use paths, fourteen miles of sidepaths, and

thirty-five miles of bike lanes would complete the network. Once complete, the network would have a

variety of routes for purposes of recreational and utilitarian use. This includes three complete bike lane

loops of different lengths, off-street shared use paths within existing utility corridors to connect parks

and sports facilities, and more direct routes to important destinations such as shopping centers and

schools. Please note that the Long-Term Project Funding Summary Table (Table J.4) includes projects

that have since been removed.

Table J.4 Long-Term Project Funding Summary

Figure J.2 Long-Term Project Recommendations

Revised Long-Term Project Recommendations

After removing controversial shared-use paths along drainage and/or utility easements, the remaining

Medium-Term and Long-Term projects were combined into what will be referred to from here forward

as “Long-Term Recommendations”. These are projects that were not controversial in nature and that

contribute to the overall connectivity of The Woodlands Township by creating a complete bicycle and

pedestrian network. The Revised Long-Term Recommendations can be seen in Figure J.3, below.

Note the shared use path projects located along drainage or utility easements have been

removed per the direction of The Board of Directors.

Figure J.3 Revised Long-Term Recommendations

The revised Long-Term Recommendations are outlined in Table J.5, below.

Table J.5 Long Term Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities (Combined Medium and Long-Term)

Removed Shared Use Path Recommendations

Due to community disapproval, shared use path projects within drainage or utility easements were

removed from the Plan; however, if the Township has a need to increase the amount of pedestrian and

bicycle facilities that do not conflict with vehicular traffic in the future, these recommendations would

create a complete pedestrian and bicycle network. The removed shared use paths can be seen on the

following map. These connections provide additional access for walkers, runners, and cyclists

throughout The Woodlands. In some cases, these routes identified on the map are already being used

by pedestrian and/or bicyclists in the community; however, the addition of these to the Plan would

formalize their use and ensure maintenance. Figure J.4 shows all shared use paths that were identified

as potential connections but removed after community disapproval.

Figure J.4 Removed Shared Use Path Facilities (From All Terms)