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Fort Bend County's Fast Growing Population


ehtx1

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Where do you all see the future of Fort Bend County ?  Our population has reach 627,293 and is growing more and more everyday with no signs of stopping.  I live in Sugar Land and I can definitely see the growth.  If we were a city we would be the 7th largest city in Texas, just after El Paso !  I'm starting to wonder if Fort Bend is going to have to start thinking like a big city rather than a suburban area.  For example, with transportation, Hwy 59 (I-69) is always backed-up and needs relief.  Highway 6 is a nightmare, Highway 90 is starting to get crazy.  Thankfully the Grand Parkway is being built out to 59.  Maybe turn highway 90 into a tollroad, connect the Fort Bend Tollroad to South Post Oak in Houston, Commuter rail that reaches all the way to Richmond and Rosenberg, and maybe turn the Fort Bend Transit System into a full bus service system. Thats just one area of concern.  I even see the day when the Sugar Land Airport turns into Houston's third major airport.  It's just a Regional airport now but flights are constantly coming one right after another, even at night.  It's the busiest small airport I ever seen.  What do you guys think in other areas as well like education, real estate, economic development, crime, health care, etc.  All these issue are coming up fast in this county and we have to find some answers soon.

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Either Fort Bend County need it's own transportation system or vote to be a part of METRO and pay the 1 cent tax.  I went to a Houston Tomorrow meeting and we are concerned that the traffic in Fort Bend county will hurt it's economy.  They need to star commuter rail or start a new freeway system or it will choke with the population.  With almost 700,000 residents that is larger than Boston with three tollways and I-10 and I-59 will not cut it.  Fort Bend may have to build their own outer loop like 610.    

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Either Fort Bend County need it's own transportation system or vote to be a part of METRO and pay the 1 cent tax.  I went to a Houston Tomorrow meeting and we are concerned that the traffic in Fort Bend county will hurt it's economy.  They need to star commuter rail or start a new freeway system or it will choke with the population.  With almost 700,000 residents that is larger than Boston with three tollways and I-10 and I-59 will not cut it.  Fort Bend may have to build their own outer loop like 610.    

 

I would imagine that, given the current population and expected growth, Fort Bend would form it's own transit agency so it could keep the money close to home and not have to support the rest of the Metro service area.

 

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I think that the major challenge that faces Fort Bend county is development of a larger job base inside the county.  It can't be thought of as a big city until it has the ability to employ a large number of its residents.  Today, the vast majority of people that live in Fort Bend county work in Harris.  It will continue to be a suburb until that changes.

 

Developing a transportation network isn't going to change that.

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Having lived in SL for over 25 years it's amazing to witness the growth out here. It was a sleepy little community when I first moved here. I can accept the growth but the 59 traffic gets worse every year. Something had to be done to help commuters. Improving the hwy 90 commute would really help. They need to get rid of the bottleneck at 610 in the mornings. 

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