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State Highway 288 carries six lanes of traffic in and out of Brazoria County. But county engineer Matt Hanks says that's just not enough.
"There's been tremendous growth in the Pearland, Manvel, and Iowa Colony area,” says Hanks. “Not to mention the continued industrial growth and residential growth in the southern part of Brazoria County."
Construction is expected to start in June on what will be known as the Brazoria County Expressway. The $97 million project is a continuation of the 288 toll lanes currently being built in Harris County.
The Brazoria County portion will run about five miles south to County Road 58. There will be two tolled lanes in each direction and they'll be built in the existing median. Hanks says that should keep construction delays to a minimum.
"All the main lanes of State Highway 288 will remain open,” adds Hanks. “Only during short durations will there be some lane closures or shifting. There's a few areas where we're going to have to widen out the main lanes a little bit because there's not enough room in the middle for all four toll lanes to fit in the middle. But once again, we will only do that once we have that widening ready to accept the same number of lanes to widen out."
The Brazoria County Expressway should be finished in in about two years, around the same time as the Harris County segment. Drivers will still have the option of using the free lanes that are there right now.
