A years-long controversy over the alignment of McKeever Road in Arcola came another step toward conclusion Tuesday, when Fort Bend County Commissioners Court members unanimously approved an agreement outlining terms of the project.
Arcola City Council approved the same agreement on May 16.
The document covers the long-awaited extension of South Post Oak Road from State Highway 6 to McKeever Road, and the improvement of McKeever.
An on-again, off-again agreement involving the City of Arcola and Fort Bend County has been complicated by Houston Southwest Airport owner Jamie Griffin’s apparent desire to expand or add facilities at the airport.
Griffin has reportedly long favored a “curved” design for the intersection of the expanded South Post Oak and McKeever roads, which opponents say would allow him to expand his airport and close a portion of McKeever.
But the agreement approved by the court on Tuesday calls for a “T” intersection favored by Arcola officials who want to make sure McKeever remains open to the city’s commercial center.
On Tuesday, Precinct 1 Commissioner Richard Morrison, who has been involved in negotiations culminating in the recent agreement, said Griffin has told him he will sign off on the document.
“Mr. Morrison, I want to commend you,” Hebert said after the court voted to approve the agreement. “This has taken longer than Gone With The Wind, with a cast of thousands.”
According to the new agreement, South Post Oak will run from Highway 6 to McKeever as a four-lane divided concrete road with a raised median, curb and gutters and open-ditch drainage, becoming a three-lane road as it approaches the McKeever intersection.
McKeever will be built as a three-lane concrete road, 40 feet wide, with a curb, and open-ditch drainage, running from South Post Oak to Steep Bank Trace.
Griffin will, under the agreement, pay $500,000 toward the South Post Oak construction and provide right-of-way property for the project. In return, the City of Arcola has agreed to annex about 211 acres Griffin owns along the project route.
“Upon fulfillment of all property owner responsibilities…the city intends to consider providing tax abatements to” Griffin’s property, the agreement states.
