Sugar Land, Texas

Sugar Land is a city located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Sugar Land had a population of 63,328 (though a 2004 estimate placed the city's population at 73,721). Sugar Land's total population, including its extraterritorial jurisdiction, is approximately 118,000 with a 2010 projection of 130,000.

Transportation

Sugar Land currently does not have a mass transit system. However, this could change as it has been a possible candidate for expansion of Houston's METRORail system by means of a planned commuter rail. Since many of Sugar Land's residents work in Houston, thus creating routine rush hour traffic along the city's main thoroughfare, U.S. Highway 59, there has been large support in the area for such a project.

Related Topics:
Mass transit system - METRORail - Commuter rail

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Major thoroughfares

• U.S. Highway 59, the major freeway running diagonally through the city, has undergone a major widening project in recent years to accommodate Sugar Land's daily commuters. The finished portion of the freeway east of Texas Highway 6 currently has eight main lanes with two diamond lanes and six continuous frontage road lanes. Currently, widening of U.S. Highway 59 is just west of Texas Highway 6 out to Texas Highway 99. It's also is expected to become Interstate 69, sometime in the near future.
• U.S. Highway 90A, a major highway running through Sugar Land from west to east and traverses through a historic area of the city, known as "Old Sugar Land". U.S. Highway 90A is currently on its way to be widened to an eight-lane highway with a 30-foot median between Texas Highway 99 and U.S. Highway 59.
• Texas Highway 6 is a major highway running from north to southeast Sugar Land and traverses through the 10,000 acre (40 km²) master-planned community of First Colony. Construction is about to start on a bridge over University Blvd and U.S. Highway 90A from First Colony Blvd to north of the railroad track at U.S. Highway 90A. When completed, it will have six main lanes and frontage roads.
• Texas Highway 99 is a new highway opened in 1994 with frontage roads but no main lanes yet. It currently traverses through the New Territory and River Park master-planned communities in Sugar Land's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), west of Sugar Land's current city limits. Construction will soon to start south of the U.S. Highway 59 at its current terminus. It will eventually passes through the master-planned community of Greatwood and other communites such as Canyon Gate at the Brazos and Tara Colony, all currently in Sugar Land's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), southwest of the current city limits. There are plans to annex all of these communities in the ETJ into the city limits in the near future.
• Texas F.M. 1876, widely known as Eldridge Road, is a north-south state highway in north Sugar Land. It traverses through many established areas and acts as the western border of the Sugar Land Business Park. Going north leads into the city of Houston and Harris County.
• Texas F.M. 2759, or Crabb River Road and Thompsons Road, is a rural state highway serving the far southwestern portion of Sugar Land's extraterritorial jurisdiction. The highway starts at the terminus of Texas Highway 99 at U.S. Highway 59 and traverses by the master-planned community of Greatwood and other communities such as Canyon Gate at the Brazos, Tara Colony, Royal Lake Estates, and eventually to the town of Thompsons.
• University Boulevard, formerly referred to as Texas Highway 6 Bypass south of U.S. Highway 90A and Burney Road Bypass north of U.S. Highway 90A, is a proposed major north-south to southeast arterial. It will eventually traverses through the master-planned communities of Sugar Mill, First Crossing, Telfair (formerly known as TX DOT Tract 4 & 5), Avalon, and Riverstone. Currently, a portion is completed from south of U.S. Highway 59 to the Commonwealth Blvd intersection, just west of the Avalon master-planned community. The other completed section is east of Texas Highway 6 as it traverses through the First Crossing master-planned commercial development and it dead ends just right before U.S. Highway 90A.

Airport

Sugar Land maintains a large municipal airport, Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR), formerly known as Sugar Land Municipal Airport, which was purchased from a private interest in 1990. Sugar Land Regional is the fourth largest airport in the Greater Houston area and the only general reliever airport in the southwest sector.

Related Topics:
Sugar Land Regional Airport - 1990 - Greater Houston

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Sugar Land Regional briefly handled commercial passenger service during the mid-1990s via a now-defunct Texas carrier known as Conquest Airlines. For scheduled commercial service, Sugar Landers rely on Houston's two airports, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).

Related Topics:
1990 - George Bush Intercontinental Airport - William P. Hobby Airport

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The airport today mostly serves the city's corporate, governmental, and private clientele. A new 20,000 square foot (1,900 m²) Terminal and a 60 acre (243,000 m²) GA Complex, are currently under construction, with the Terminal completion expected in Spring 2006.

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The city of Houston maintains a park that occupies 750 acres (3 km²) of land directly north of the Sugar Land Regional Airport. It is suspected by local residents that this park is an attempt by the city of Houston to block Sugar Land's airport expansion, especially since Sugar Land Regional is in a prime position to possibly compete with Houston's commercial air traffic.

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