The Woodlands WaterwayWith LJA Engineering acting as the prime engineering consultant, the first portion of a landmark engineering and community project in The Woodlands Waterway will be open to the public this fall, with a special event scheduled for New Year's Eve.
The event will commemorate a one-mile section of the Woodlands Waterway, a river, pedestrian and tramway transit corridor located between the 20-acre Lake Robbins and the 100-acre Lake Woodlands. The waterway contains a spillway feature to control water surface elevation on both lakes and to facilitate drainage for the area.
The first section, which begins at Grogans Mill Road continuing to Six Pines Drive, borders the under-construction Woodlands Convention Center as well as high-rise office buildings for Anadarko and Exxon/Mobil. With boat taxis, pedestrian walkways and a tram system in place the Waterway provides alternative transportation to destinations such as the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.
Designed as a colorful, pleasant environment, the Waterway will be a mixed-use area, including retail and restaurant spaces to serve the adjoining commercial developments. The area will feature pedestrian bridges over the waterway, carefully landscaped walkways, and a tram system for ease of transportation.
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The Woodlands Waterway near Anadarko Plaza |
"This waterway has been under consideration for many years, and as the engineer on the project it has been exciting to see the original idea become reality," stated LJA President, Calvin Ladner, P.E.
LJA participated in both the concept and the execution of the Woodlands Waterway project, providing hydrology, structural, roadway and tramway engineering design, as well as electrical engineering and construction administration. As an intermodal waterway, the Waterway was developed in part by utilizing federal transportation funding including ISEA-T 21.
Summarized Alex Sutton, P.E., The Woodlands Operating Company, L.P. Vice President, "This project adds to the amenities at The Woodlands, creating a pleasant river side experience, while providing regional drainage and mass transit alternatives. It's a great aesthetic, environmentally sound solution to several engineering challenges."
