US 90A Expansion and Landscaping Photo

US 90A Expansion and Landscaping

U.S. 90A is the City of Stafford's Main Street. The road was originally constructed in 1942 and encompasses 175 miles stretching from Seguin to northeastern Houston. Stafford has a 7-mile strip which has a tremendous amount of automobile traffic on it daily as people commute back and forth from the suburbs to the Texas Medical Center and Downtown Houston. Running alongside U.S. 90A is the railroad which has been in place since 1853 when the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway laid its first 20 miles of track.

The railroad was a prime motivator in the expansion project. In December 1998, the day after Christmas, a train derailed in Stafford causing 29 boxcars full of aggregate to spill onto the streets. Mayor Leonard Scarcella called for a change. After many meetings with the railroad and State and County officials, the City and the Stafford Economic Development Corporation put in place a plan to relocate the railroad track 100 feet north of U.S. 90A and widen the road from two to four lanes, five lanes on North and South Main Street. In addition, two underpasses were built, one at Stafford Road and the other at FM 1092. 

The Stafford Economic Development Corporation funded the City's obligation of this project, $8 million for the two underpasses and $5 million for landscaping. The U.S. 90A corridor improvements through Stafford have been a huge success, even winning the Keep Houston Beautiful, Mayor's Proud Partner Award in 2012 for the landscaping improvements.