Texas State Highway 249
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by TxDOT | ||||
Length | 25.043 mi[1] (40.303 km) | |||
Existed | 1988–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | ![]() | |||
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North end | ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Texas | |||
Counties | Harris, Montgomery | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Highway 249, SH 249, the MCTRA 249 Tollway, the Tomball Parkway, Tomball Tollway or West Mount Houston Road is a generally north–south highway in Southeast Texas. The current northern terminus of the highway is in Pinehurst at the intersection of FM 1774 and Woodtrace Boulevard.[2] The southern terminus is in North Houston at Interstate 45.
Route description
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2009) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Westbound_Zion_Road_at_Texas_State_Highway_249.jpg/220px-Westbound_Zion_Road_at_Texas_State_Highway_249.jpg)
The section of SH 249 north of its junction with Beltway 8 is referred to by area residents as the Tomball Parkway because it leads to and is the main road through Tomball. Along the east-west section between I-45 and West Montgomery, it is called West Mount Houston Road. West Mount Houston Road, however, actually extends east past the intersection of SH 249 at I-45.
Tomball Tollway section
Phase I
Phase one runs for 6 miles (9.7 km) from just north of Spring Cypress Road, the current terminus of the existing free lanes to just north of the existing Tomball bypass. The Tomball Tollway is three lanes in each direction that are used to bypass seven stoplights and will only accept electronic toll-tags (EZ Tag, TollTag and TxTag) as no cash payments will be allowed; the total cost of the toll for HCTRA's segment is $1.50 for two-axle vehicles, while the SH 249 frontage roads will remain free to all drivers.[3] [4] Construction of phase one began in fall 2013 and was completed on 12 April 2015.[5]
Phase II
Phase two will extend the tollway into Montgomery County from Business SH 249-B to Sentinel Oaks in Montgomery County north of Spring Creek. This $335 million project was overseen by the Harris and Montgomery County toll road authorities.[6] Construction on Phase 2 commenced in fall 2016 and was opened to traffic on December 19, 2019.[7]
MCTRA 249 Tollway section
From Spring Creek to FM 1774 in Pinehurst, the tolled mainlanes of SH 249 will be maintained by the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority.[8] Signed as MCTRA 249 Tollway, the first section to open was between Spring Creek and Sentinel Oaks (coinciding with Phase two of the HCTRA segment) on December 19, 2019. Construction on the next segment of MCTRA 249 Tollway from Sentinel Oaks to FM 1774 commenced in spring 2018. [7] The next section of MCTRA 249 Tollway opened from Sentinel Oaks to Woodtrace Boulevard on March 26, 2020, with the remaining MCTRA segment projected to open in summer of 2020. [9][10] The total cost of the toll for MCTRA's segment is $1.25 for two-axle vehicles and, like HCTRA's Tomball Tollway, will only accept electronic toll-tags (EZ Tag, TollTag and TxTag).[11]
History
Originally a part of FM 149, the highway was given the designation of SH 249 in 1988.[1] The highway's importance grew after Compaq Computer Corporation (now known as Hewlett-Packard) moved its headquarters close to the intersection of SH 249 and Louetta Rd.[12] In 2003, a portion of SH 249 in Tomball was renamed Business SH 249B from Hicks Road to Holderreith Road. This is because of bypass that bypasses Tomball on the west side of the city. In 2015, SH 249 was extended northwest 24.4 miles from FM 149 and FM 1774 to SH 105 near Stoneham. A section of SH 249 from Woodtrace Boulevard to FM 149 was renumbered as a southern extension of FM 1774 in December 2019.[2]
Previously, SH 249 was designated on June 22, 1937[13] from then-SH 73 (now Interstate 10) near San Felipe north to the Brazos River. The route was redesignated on May 9, 1940 as Texas Spur 99.[14] The route became part of Farm to Market Road 1458 on January 20, 1966.
Future
Current plans call for the highway to extend to the Bryan–College Station area. Continued growth in the Bryan/College Station, Conroe and NW Houston regions have congested existing roadways, including SH 105 and FM 1774. Texas A&M University and businesses in the Bryan/College Station area would benefit from faster connections to Bush-Intercontinental Airport, the Port of Houston and the Texas Medical Center. A bypass of Magnolia, Texas is desirable because of the large traffic load every October due to the annual Renaissance fair. Decreased funding for road projects in recent years had stalled the extension of SH 249. However the rapid growth in the area has led to a renewed push in 2012 to build further segments.
Plans for the middle segments (Pinehurst-Todd Mission) and north segment (Todd Mission-Navasota) have been revived by the Texas Department of Transportation in early 2013. TxDOT has formed a working group with local officials and stakeholders to discuss alternatives for the SH 249 corridor.[15][16][17] The segment from Sentinel Oaks to FM 1774 in Pinehurst (maintained by MCTRA) is slated to open in spring 2020.[10] From FM 1774 in Pinehurst, north up to SH 105 in Grimes County, SH 249 will be under the jurisdiction of TxDOT. The next segment from FM 1774 to FM 1488 east of Magnolia is projected to be completed in the summer of 2020. The remaining portion of SH 249 in Montgomery County from FM 1488 to FM 1774 in Todd Mission is projected to be completed in spring 2021. [18] In Grimes County, the north segment will be constructed as a non-tolled two-lane highway. Construction in Grimes County began in late 2018 and is projected to be completed in spring 2023. [19][20]
Popular culture
The Eli Young Band references "Highway 249" in their song 'Always the Love Songs'. Several of the band members grew up in Tomball, right off SH 249.
Major intersections
All exits are unnumbered.
County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Harris | Houston | Lua error in Module:Jct at line 204: attempt to concatenate local 'link' (a nil value). | I-45 exit 57B | ||
![]() ![]() | interchange; south end of freeway | ||||
![]() ![]() | Access to Methodist Hospital Willowbrook | ||||
Grant Road / Schroeder Road / Perry Road | |||||
Cypresswood Drive | |||||
Chasewood Park Drive | Access to CHI St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital | ||||
Louetta Road / Jones Road | No northbound entrance (closed until July 2020) | ||||
| Spring-Cypress Road | No northbound exit (closed until July 2020) | |||
| Northpointe Boulevard | Last free northbound exit before entering the Tomball Tollway[21] | |||
| ![]() | Southern terminus of the Tomball Tollway[21] | |||
| Toll gantry for both directions Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed | ||||
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Tomball | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern terminus of Bus. SH 249[22] | |||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Northern terminus of Bus. SH 249[22][failed verification] | ||||
Brown Road / Baker Road / Zion Road | Access to Lone Star College-Tomball campus | ||||
| ![]() | Northern terminus of HCTRA's Tomball Tollway; southern terminus of MCTRA 249 Tollway[21] | |||
Montgomery | | Decker Prairie Road / Hardin Store Road | [23] | ||
| Toll gantry for both directions Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed | ||||
| Woodtrace Boulevard | Current northern terminus of MCTRA 249 Tollway[23] | |||
Pinehurst | ![]() | Current - Temporary northern terminus of SH 249 | |||
| ![]() | Future - Toll road exit (Planned Montgomery County extension)[24] | |||
| ![]() | Future - Toll road exit (Planned Montgomery County extension)[24] | |||
| ![]() | Future - Toll road exit (Planned Montgomery County extension)[24] | |||
Grimes | Todd Mission | ![]() | Future - Toll road exit (Planned Montgomery/Grimes County extension)[24][25] | ||
| CR 304 | Future intersection (Planned Grimes County extension)[25] | |||
| CR 306 | Future intersection (Planned Grimes County extension)[25] | |||
| ![]() | Future intersection (Planned Grimes County extension)[25] Future - Northern terminus of SH 249 (Planned)[25] | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- ^ a b Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 249". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ a b Dominguez, Catherine (December 12, 2019). "Montgomery County commissioners approve Texas 249 rename to FM 1774 near Pinehurst". The Courier of Montgomery County.
- ^ Harris County Toll Road Authority. "Tomball Tollway". Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "HCTRA Projects: SH 249 Phase 1".
- ^ "Houston Newsmakers".
- ^ "HCTRA Projects: SH 249 Phase 2".
- ^ a b Lotz, Anna (August 8, 2018). "Hwy. 249 extension to Spring Creek on track for 2019 opening, additional openings to extend road to Magnolia in 2020 and Navasota in 2022". Community Impact Newspaper.
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(help) - ^ HCTRA System Map www.hctra.org
- ^ New Hwy. 249 tolled lanes open in Pinehurst Community IMPACT Newspaper
- ^ a b McIntyre, Kara (January 30, 2020). "Opening of Hwy. 249 main lanes in Pinehurst delayed". Community IMPACT Newspaper. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ [1] Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA) SH 249 Retrieved May 8, 2020
- ^ Slotboom, Erik (2003). Houston Freeways. OF Slotboom. ISBN 0-9741605-3-9.
- ^ "Minutes of the June 21, 1937 State Highway Commission meeting" (PDF). TxDOT.
- ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway Spur No. 99". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ "MCTRA Projects: SH 249". TxDOT. January 20, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ Winkler, Liza (December 11, 2015). "TxDOT holds public meeting on updated Hwy. 249 extension plan". communityimpact.com. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ "TxDOT Projects: SH 249". TxDOT. April 3, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ McIntyre, Kara (January 7, 2020). "TOP STORY OF 2020: Hwy. 249 main lanes to open in Magnolia by summer". Community Impact Newspaper.
- ^ Falls, Clay (September 19, 2018). "Work on new Highway 249 extension to start in Grimes County this fall". KBTX-TV.
- ^ Falls, Clay (April 12, 2019). "Grimes Co. leaders pleased with changes coming to Hwy. 249 extension". KBTX-TV.
- ^ a b c "Interactive Map of Houston Toll Roads". Harris County Toll Road Authority.
- ^ a b Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Business State Highway No. 249-B". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ a b "249 Toll Extension Schematic - From Harris county into Montgomery county" (PDF). TxDot.
- ^ a b c d "Aggie Highway Schematic (249 Toll - From Montgomery/Harris County line to the Montgomery/Grimes County line)" (PDF). TxDot.
- ^ a b c d e "SH 249 - Todd Mission to Navasota with Schematics (249 Toll - From Montgomery/Grimes County line to SH 105)". TxDot.