University Boulevard extension to connect with Hwy. 90 this summer

  More than 10 years since first opening to traffic, University Boulevard is about to provide another four-lane boulevard extension to motorists by connecting Hwy. 6 with Hwy. 90 in Sugar Land.

  The growing corridor, which opened its first segment between Hwy. 59 and Commonwealth Boulevard in 2003, has brought hundreds of rooftops, businesses, entertainment venues and a prominent university to the area, while also adding an additional connector between the cities of Sugar Land and Missouri City, said Chris Steubing, city engineer with Sugar Land.

  “The University Boulevard route was identified in the city’s master thoroughfare plan back in the early 1990s,” he said. “It was identified as an alternative to [Hwy. 6] to reduce congestion and provide alternate access through the city that would also provide opportunities for development.”

  Design of the third major piece of the extension from Hwy. 59 north to Hwy. 90 began in early 2009. The roadway includes a bridge over Ditch H—an important piece of drainage infrastructure in the city. The nearly $5 million extension has been a partnership between the Texas Department of Transportation, Fort Bend County and the city of Sugar Land. The project is expected to wrap up in late August.

  “The project is moving forward but is a little behind schedule,” Steubing said. “We are still shooting for an end of summer completion, and the contractor is working toward that goal.”

  As part of the city’s capital improvement program, the final piece of the University Boulevard extension—which engineers are reviewing—will include a direct connector to Stadium Drive within the Imperial development. The extension will cross Hwy. 90 at street level and is expected to include a bridge over Oyster Creek and the Union Pacific Railroad, according to designs.

  “This connection will be an enhancement to mobility for the northern portions of Sugar Land,” Steubing said. “It will be a direct connection from Burney Road and the Imperial development all the way to the south side of town where [the road] connects back to [Hwy. 6] in Missouri City.”

  Design of the Stadium Drive connector is slated to begin later this summer, Steubing said. A timeline for construction has not yet been determined.

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