TxDOT is getting close to narrowing down what routes will be considering for Highway 36A, and there will be two public meetings in August for the community and media to hear the latest information and provide feedback.

There will be two public hearings:

· Tuesday, August 26, 5 to 7 p.m., Leonard E. Merrell Center, 6301 S Stadium Ln., Katy

· Thursday, August 28, 5 to 7 p.m., Fort Bend Epicenter, 28505 Southwest Fwy., Rosenberg

The proposed Highway 36A transportation project will link Port Freeport to Highway 6 near Navasota and beyond that improves evacuation routes, facilitates domestic and international trade, enhances economic opportunity and provides more efficient mobility.

Port Freeport is expanding its facilities to become the deepest port in Texas, at 55 feet, making it the only port on the Texas Gulf Coast fully capable of receiving the larger container ships transiting the Panama Canal. Increasing imports and exports are generating cargo which will create additional demands on the limited rail and highway transportation facilities serving the region.

The project is proposed in two segments:

· Existing Highway 36 is a mostly two-lane undivided roadway in Fort Bend and Brazoria Counties. TxDOT is proposing several projects along SH 36 from Spur 10 to FM 1495 including expanding to a four-lane divided roadway with a grassy center median in rural sections and adding center left-turn lanes in urban sections. Already completed is an extension of Spur 10 south of US 59 along Hartledge Road.

· The Texas Department of Transportation has launched a $2 million draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 36A corridor which extends from Rosenberg (US 59S/IH 69S) across IH 10 to Hempstead (US 290/SH 6). The study will analyze alternatives and determine a preferred route that best meets the needs of the area while avoiding or minimizing impacts to the natural and man-made environment.

Fort Bend County Commissioner Precinct 3 Andy Meyers sees Route 36A as a vital transportation route that will connect Port Freeport to the nation’s largest inland port in Dallas, according to a press release from his office. Meyers views the route as vital for Fort Bend County’s economic development and for diversifying the tax base of a county where residential homeowners pay more than 70% of the county’s property taxes.