League City might cancel criticized FM 518 project

The improvements are part of a Texas Department of Transportation project along FM 518 that runs from Pearland to Kemah, but some residents and business owners are less than enthusiastic about the proposed medians. 

Mayor Tim Paulissen said city council will likely cancel the project. Instead the city may look to add an extra turn lane at FM 518 and Interstate 45 to improve traffic flow. 

City officials got an earful about the project at a public meeting two weeks ago, and city council members have been flooded with email. 

“They are taking away part of a lane of traffic,” said League City resident Mike Johnson.

A median down FM 518 would make it harder for residents to turn in and out of their neighborhoods and for customers to get to restaurants and stores, he said. 

The project stems from a 2004 Houston-Galveston Area Council study and would add a median and turn lanes along FM 518 from W. Bay Area Boulevard to FM 2094.

The construction cost is estimated at $2.1 million. The city is responsible for the design cost, about $482,000, and about 20 percent of the construction cost, about $429,600, city officials said. The rest of the project is funded through bonds backed by the state. 

Charles Verble, owner of Flowers by Leanna, 2121 W. Main St., attended the city’s meeting to discuss the road project. He said businesses owners like him are going to be concerned because any roadwork would likely have an impact on them. And that can be concerning in a down economy, he said. 

“There is no room for error while companies are hanging by a thread just trying to stay in business,” he said. 

But Verble, who has been in business for five years, said he is not opposed to the roadwork. He said traffic and safety improvements are needed. 

“They need to improve the traffic flow and that’s what it is supposed to accomplish,” Verble said. 

Contact Reporter Christopher Smith Gonzalez at 409-683-5314 or chris.gonzalez@galvnews.com.