Plans for Mason Road reconstruction presented

Plans for the improvement of Mason Road in Richmond received support from area residents at a public hearing Thursday night, but the proposal is dependent on the outcome of a May 12 county mobility bond issue, which includes 46 other road projects totaling $153 million.

Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation and Fort Bend County held the hearing at Pecan Grove Elementary School to present their findings of engineering and environmental studies, and to receive public comment on the proposed plans.

Plans for improvements are focused on Mason Road, also known as Farmer Road, between FM 359 and north to about 0.4 miles south of State 99 (Grand Parkway).

The existing stretch of Mason Road is about 2.3 miles long and 80 feet wide, an undivided two-lane rural road with open ditches on either side. The proposal would widen it to four lanes with a raised grass median in between the two sets of lanes.

The $9.5 million project would expand the roadway to 100 feet, realign the road's reverse curve and add 15.74 acres of land to the right of way.

The purpose of the construction will be to alleviate traffic congestion along the road, which is expected to increase with future development, and to eliminate some of the hazards caused by intersections and the reverse curve at Oyster Creek.

Three residents in the area chose to speak at the hearing. Jim Grisham said he agreed the new roadway is necessary, but he was concerned because the realignment of the curve will cut through his property. He asked officials to consider aligning the curve so it would miss his property entirely.

Grisham and Texana Plantation resident Mark Spector, who also supports the new road, voiced their concern about the increased noise that will result from the larger roadway.

Officials did not immediately address questions or concerns during the hearing, but said comments will be considered at a later time.