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A major roads project in Pearland is moving into the final stages. Officials say work should be wrapped up this summer on State Highway 35, from Beltway 8 to FM 518.
TxDOT started construction in the fall of 2009.
According to numbers presented by the city, the roadway carries close to 32,000 vehicles a day. That’s expected to rise to over 49,000 by the year 2035.
Pearland Engineering Director Trent Epperson says the main feature of the State Highway 35 project is the addition of two new lanes.
“Basically we went from a four-lane roadway to what is a six-lane roadway with raised medians and turn lanes,” he said.
Epperson says what they had before was a continuous left-turn lane. He says the new configuration should make things a lot safer.
“It eliminates a significant amount of the conflict points from all the driveways and intersections along the corridor.”
TxDOT is spending $28 million on the project. The City of Pearland contributed another $6.5 million for utility and flood control work.
Epperson says the improvements will bring Pearland closer to creating a “quiet zone” where trains won’t have to blow their horns as they travel along State Highway 35.
