After nearly a decade of planning and millions in anticipated funding, Conroe has pulled the plug on a road extension project—citing costs that have ballooned beyond the city’s budget.
City officials in Conroe have decided to cancel a long-planned project to extend Old Conroe Road. Initially launched in 2023, the project aimed to stretch the road from FM 1488 to Loop 336. In 2015, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) agreed to fund 80 percent of the project—about $120 million—while the city of Conroe was expected to cover the remaining costs.
However, the city has now announced it is canceling the project due to escalating expenses. The total cost would require Conroe to contribute an additional $40 million to complete the extension.
Last Thursday, the Conroe City Council voted 3-2 to reallocate the existing project funds toward addressing the city’s water infrastructure issues. According to Norm McGuire, assistant city administrator and director of Public Works, Conroe is currently out of compliance with state water capacity requirements.
Councilman Harry Wood and Mayor Pro Tem Harry Hardman were the only dissenting votes. They advocated delaying the decision until more information could be gathered.
Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough weighed in on the matter on Monday, stating, “This is an imperative project for the county. It’s a lot of money [the Houston-Galveston Area Council] is throwing at this, and we want to be sure we don’t lose this opportunity. We are going to move forward with this project.”
While Conroe is asking for more financial support and commitment from the county, the county is looking for stronger backing from the city.
“I think the county made the decision for us on this one,” said Hardman. “They just approved a half a billion-dollar bond, and they didn’t include 10 percent to cover this even though they are going to be the major beneficiaries of this project. So, this is not our fault.”
If completed, the project would have added 5.7 miles of roadway and connected two major roads via a bridge spanning the West Fork of Lake Creek and the San Jacinto River. Only about 1.25 miles of the proposed extension fall within Conroe’s city limits.
At this time, it remains unclear whether the project can still move forward, either through renewed city-county cooperation or alternative funding sources.
