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Conroe hasn't had a park and ride lot since 2010. That's when Brazos Transit closed Conroe's old facility because of funding issues. Some commuters are now having to travel south to The Woodlands to catch a bus into downtown Houston or the Medical Center.
But that service could become a lot more convenient once Conroe opens a new park and ride. It's under Interstate-45 where it crosses over FM 2854.
"When they did the study there was obviously a need for it," says Conroe City Administrator Paul Virgadamo. "And since that study our population has grown. We still have a lot of people moving to Conroe that still may work south of here."
The new facility will cost around a million dollars. The Texas Department of Transportation and the City of Conroe are sharing the cost. It'll have about 300 parking spaces.
Virgadamo says it's a much more convenient location than the old facility and he expects it'll be at capacity the day it opens.
"We'll look and see if there's some room that we can expand a little further under the underpass," adds Virgadamo. "But we're going to take it as it comes. We're going to see and we'll deal with it when it gets here."
Construction on the new park and ride should be finished by early 2017, but it's not expected to open right away. Conroe still has to find a transit company to operate the facility.
