Texas State Highway 249

State Highway 249
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap SH 249 highlighted in red, future SH 249 highlighted in blue
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT, HCTRA, and MCTRA
Length	39.443 mi[1] (63.477 km)
Existed	1988–present
Component highways	West Mount Houston Road from I-45 to West Montgomery Road Tomball Parkway from West Montgomery Road to Spring Cypress Road Tomball Tollway from Spring Cypress Road to Harris-Montgomery County line MCTRA 249 Tollway from Harris-Montgomery County Line to FM 1774 in Pinehurst Aggie Expressway from FM 1774 in Pinehurst to FM 1774 near Todd Mission
Major junctions
South end	I-45 in Houston
	Beltway 8 / Sam Houston Tollway SH 99 Toll
North end	FM 1774 north of Todd Mission
Location
Counties	Harris, Montgomery, Grimes
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec ← SH 248 → SH 250

State Highway 249 (SH 249), also known depending on its location as West Mount Houston Road, the Tomball Parkway, Tomball Tollway, MCTRA 249 Tollway, or the Aggie Expressway, is a 39.443-mile (63.477 km) generally north–south highway in Southeast Texas. The southern terminus is in North Houston at Interstate 45 (I-45). The current northern terminus of the highway is north of Todd Mission at the intersection of FM 1774.

Route description[]

This section needs expansion. You can help by . (February 2009)

West Mount Houston Road section[]

Westbound Zion Road at State Highway 249. Tomball Tollway is maintained by HCTRA, while the 249 Tollway is maintained by MCTRA. SH 249 is signed only on the frontage roads.

The section of SH 249 along the east–west section between I-45 and West Montgomery is called West Mount Houston Road, a local arterial road. West Mount Houston Road, however, actually extends east past the intersection of SH 249 at I-45 to an intersection with Airline Drive.

Tomball Parkway section[]

The section of SH 249 between West Montgomery Road and Spring Cypress Road is called Tomball Parkway. South of its intersection with Hollister Road, Tomball Parkway is a local arterial road, whereas north of it, it becomes a non-tolled freeway.

Tomball Tollway section[]

Phase I[]

Phase one runs for 6 miles (9.7 km) from just north of Spring Cypress Road, the current terminus of the existing free lanes to just north of the existing Tomball bypass. The Tomball Tollway is three lanes in each direction that are used to bypass seven stoplights and will only accept electronic toll-tags (EZ Tag, TollTag and TxTag) as no cash payments will be allowed; the total cost of the toll for HCTRA's segment is $1.50 for two-axle vehicles, while the SH 249 frontage roads will remain free to all drivers.^[2][3] Construction of phase one began in fall 2013 and was completed on April 12, 2015.^[4]

Phase II[]

Phase two extends the tollway into Montgomery County from Business SH 249-B to Sentinel Oaks in Montgomery County north of Spring Creek. This $335 million project was overseen by the Harris and Montgomery County toll road authorities.^[5] Construction on Phase 2 commenced in fall 2016 and was opened to traffic on December 19, 2019.^[6]

MCTRA 249 Tollway section[]

From Spring Creek to FM 1774 in Pinehurst, the tolled mainlanes of SH 249 will be maintained by the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority.^[7] Signed as MCTRA 249 Tollway, the first section to open was between Spring Creek and Sentinel Oaks (coinciding with Phase two of the HCTRA segment) on December 19, 2019. Construction on the next segment of MCTRA 249 Tollway from Sentinel Oaks to FM 1774 commenced in spring 2018.^[6] The next section of MCTRA 249 Tollway opened from Sentinel Oaks to Woodtrace Boulevard on March 26, 2020. The remaining MCTRA segment connecting to the TxDOT maintained section north of Woodtrace Boulevard opened on August 8, 2020.^[8][9] The total cost of the toll for MCTRA's segment is $1.25 for two-axle vehicles and, like HCTRA's Tomball Tollway, will only accept electronic toll-tags (EZ Tag, TollTag and TxTag).^[10]

Aggie Expressway section[]

Segment 1A[]

From FM 1774 in Pinehurst to FM 1488 east of Magnolia, the toll road continues as SH 249 Toll, also known as the Aggie Expressway. The tolled mainlanes of Section 1A are maintained by TxDOT and were opened on August 8, 2020 with no tolls charged until December 2020. Unlike the HCTRA and MCTRA sections of the toll road, TxDOT allows a pay-by-mail option for all users in addition to EZ Tag, TollTag and TxTag.

Segment 1B[]

Another eight miles of the Aggie Expressway from FM 1488 up to FM 1774 north Todd Mission opened to traffic on March 26, 2021. The current cost to drive the entire TxDOT section is $2.28 for two-axle vehicles, which took effect on the day of the latest segment to open.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Segment 2[]

The final segment of SH 249, Segment 2 of the Aggie Expressway, is currently under construction, which began in late 2018 and is slated to be completed in Spring 2023. It will stretch from FM 1774 near Todd Mission to SH 105 east of Navasota.

History[]

Originally a part of FM 149, the highway was given the designation of SH 249 in 1988.^[1] The highway's importance grew after Compaq (later purchased by Hewlett-Packard) moved its headquarters close to the intersection of SH 249 and Louetta Rd.^[15] In 2003, a portion of SH 249 in Tomball was renamed Business SH 249B from Hicks Road to Holderreith Road. This is because of bypass that bypasses Tomball on the west side of the city. In 2015, SH 249 was extended northwest 24.4 miles from FM 149 and FM 1774 to SH 105 near Stoneham. A section of SH 249 from Woodtrace Boulevard to FM 149 was renumbered as a southern extension of FM 1774 in December 2019.^[16] On August 8, 2020, the section of SH 249 from FM 1774 to FM 1488 was opened. On March 26, 2021, the section of SH 249 from FM 1488 to FM 1774 was opened.

Previously, SH 249 was designated on June 22, 1937^[17] from then-SH 73 (now Interstate 10) near San Felipe north to the Brazos River. The route was redesignated on May 9, 1940 as Texas Spur 99.^[18] The route became part of Farm to Market Road 1458 on January 20, 1966.

Future[]

Current plans call for the highway to extend to the Bryan–College Station area. Continued growth in the Bryan/College Station, Conroe and NW Houston regions have congested existing roadways, including SH 105 and FM 1774. Texas A&M University and businesses in the Bryan/College Station area would benefit from faster connections to Bush-Intercontinental Airport, the Port of Houston and the Texas Medical Center. A bypass of Magnolia, Texas is desirable because of the large traffic load every October due to the annual Renaissance fair. Decreased funding for road projects in recent years had stalled the extension of SH 249. However the rapid growth in the area has led to a renewed push in 2012 to build further segments.

Plans for the middle segments (Pinehurst-Todd Mission) and north segment (Todd Mission-Navasota) were revived by the Texas Department of Transportation in early 2013. TxDOT has formed a working group with local officials and stakeholders to discuss alternatives for the SH 249 corridor.^[19][20][21] The segment from Sentinel Oaks to FM 1774 in Pinehurst (maintained by MCTRA) opened in spring 2020.^[9] From FM 1774 in Pinehurst, north up to SH 105 in Grimes County, SH 249 will be under the jurisdiction of TxDOT. The remaining portion of SH 249 in Montgomery County from FM 1488 to FM 1774 in Todd Mission was competed on March 26, 2021.^[22][23] In Grimes County, the north segment will be constructed as a non-tolled two-lane freeway.^[24] Construction in Grimes County began in late 2018 and is projected to be completed in Spring 2023.^[25][26]

Popular culture[]

The country music group Eli Young Band references "Highway 249" in their 2008 single "Always the Love Songs." Several of the band members^[which?] grew up in Tomball.^{[citation needed]}

Major intersections[]

All exits are unnumbered.

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Harris	Houston			I-45 (North Freeway) – Dallas, Downtown Houston	I-45 exit 57B
				Beltway 8 (Frontage Road) / Sam Houston Tollway	interchange; south end of freeway
				FM 1960 / Gessner Road	Access to Methodist Hospital Willowbrook
				Grant Road / Schroeder Road / Perry Road
				Cypresswood Drive
				Chasewood Park Drive / Compaq Center Drive / Cypresswood Drive / Perry Road	Access to CHI St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital
				Louetta Road / Jones Road
	​			Spring-Cypress Road
	​			SH 249 (Frontage Road) / Northpointe Boulevard, North Eldridge Parkway	Last free northbound exit before entering the Tomball Tollway[27]
	​			Tomball Tollway begins	Southern terminus of the Tomball Tollway[27]
	​			Toll gantry for both directions Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
	​			To SH 99 Toll (Grand Parkway) / Boudreaux Road	Access to Grand Parkway via frontage roads
	​			SH 99 Toll (Grand Parkway) – Katy, Spring	Future direct ramps to east and westbound Grand Parkway (SH 99) from northbound Tomball Tollway.[28]
	Tomball			north (Tomball Parkway) / Holderrieth Road / Alice Road	Southern terminus of [29]
				FM 2920 / south (Tomball Parkway) – Tomball, Hooks Airport / Alice Road	Northern terminus of [29][failed verification]
				Brown Road / Baker Road / Zion Road	Access to Lone Star College-Tomball campus
Harris–Montgomery county line	​			MCTRA 249 Tollway begins	Northern terminus of HCTRA's Tomball Tollway; southern terminus of MCTRA 249 Tollway[27]
Montgomery	​			Decker Prairie Road / Hardin Store Road	[30]
	​			Toll gantry for both directions Electronic toll tags only, cash and pay-by-mail not allowed
	​			FM 1774 – Magnolia - Woodtrace Boulevard	Southern terminus of FM 1774 (signed on northbound exit signage only);[30] last southbound exit for traffic paying by mail.
	​			SH 249 Toll begins	Northern terminus of MCTRA 249 Tollway; southern terminus of SH 249 Toll (Aggie Expressway)[27]
	​			FM 149 – Montgomery	[31]
	​			Toll gantry for both directions Electronic toll tags or pay-by-mail (cash not accepted)[12][13]
	​			Audubon Boulevard	Road not connected yet[32]
	​			FM 1488 – Hempstead, Magnolia, The Woodlands
	​			FM 1486 – Magnolia, Dobbin
	​			Toll gantry for both directions Electronic toll tags or pay-by-mail (cash not accepted)
Grimes	Todd Mission			FM 1774 – Magnolia, Todd Mission, Plantersville	Temporary northern terminus of SH 249;[31] northbound terminus of toll road and future start of two-lane freeway[31][33]
	​			CR 304	Future exit (Planned Grimes County extension)[33][24]
	​			CR 306	Future exit (Planned Grimes County extension)[33][24]
	​			SH 105	Future interchange (Planned Grimes County extension)[33] Future - Northern terminus of SH 249 (Planned)[33][24]
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Tolled       Unopened

References[]

External links[]

Route map: