Fort Bend portion of Grand Parkway gets an upgrade

The free ride is officially over.

The segment of the Grand Parkway from U.S. 59 north to Interstate 10 has been open for about 20 years, but only now are the finishing touches being made.

The final stretch of the revised toll road between Bellfort Street and the Westpark Tollway opens to traffic southbound Saturday, after a Friday celebration by Fort Bend County elected officials and business leaders. Northbound lanes will open Tuesday.

  The parkway opened in 1994, but Fort Bend County held off building the center toll lanes until growth warranted more traffic capacity.

  South of Bellfort, the tollway opened March 30.

  With the connection to the northern portion of the parkway, the tollway now runs from U.S. 59 to U.S. 290, about 33 miles.

  To drive through all seven toll points along the Fort Bend section of the Grand Parkway, the cost is $2.45. The parkway’s old route now acts as the feeder roads for the tollway. Those lanes remain free.

  Officials have said the tollway expansion allows for more development in Fort Bend County.

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