MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – Leaders in Montgomery County are taking a major step toward addressing one of the area’s biggest challenges: traffic.
County commissioners have approved the first-ever countywide transportation mobility study, a comprehensive 10-year plan aimed at improving transportation, reducing congestion, and helping residents move more easily as the region continues to grow.
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A fast-growing county facing real strain
Montgomery County is one of the fastest-growing areas in Southeast Texas, and for many drivers, congestion is already part of daily life.
“The lights seem like the lights don’t change,” said driver Rheda McAdams, describing one of her biggest frustrations behind the wheel.
Construction along major corridors is adding to the backups. Mike Morgan pointed to ongoing work along Highway 1097 as a major headache.
“In order to get around, you got to go all the way back around the lake to get through or sit in traffic for a while,” Morgan said.
Along Highway 105, some residents say recent design changes have only made traffic worse.
“The medians make no sense. It creates way more traffic. That’s my biggest complaint, and I live on 105,” said Suzanne Haynes.
Building a long-term roadmap
Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough says those everyday frustrations are exactly why the study is needed.
“If I can get from one side of the county to the other without getting caught in bottlenecks and congestion causing safety issues, that’s the metric for me,” Keough said.
Currently, four major thoroughfares fully traverse Montgomery County:
- Interstate 45
- State Highway 249
- State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway)
- State Highway 105
With rapid growth across all four precincts, county leaders say a broader, coordinated strategy is needed — one that looks ahead to 2036 and beyond.
Keough emphasized the plan will be grounded in financial reality.
“If I don’t have the money, the resources to put a road or a bridge or whatever, then I’m not going to put it in this plan. It doesn’t make sense because it will never happen,” he said.
Funding and public input
The federally funded study is supported by state and regional partners, including the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
When asked whether the plan could lead to higher taxes, tolls, or new fees, Keough pushed back.
“I have a history in this county of keeping taxes low and I intend to do that,” he said. “We’re not interested in tolling or increasing those taxes.”
Public input will play a key role in shaping the final plan. Eight meetings are scheduled across the county to gather feedback from residents.
“The residents are stakeholders,” Keough said. “We want to hear from the people as part of the decision-making process because they know about unsafe intersections and they know about places and on and off ramps that aren’t working.”
What happens next
The study is expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete.
For longtime drivers watching Montgomery County grow, improvements can’t come soon enough.
“Everyone wants to use the same road, so we have to accommodate,” Morgan said.
County leaders say success won’t be measured by a report sitting on a shelf, but by real results drivers can feel on the road.