Texas State Highway 249

Westbound Zion Road at State Highway 249. Tomball Tollway is maintained by HCTRA, while the 249 Tollway is maintained by MCTRA. SH 249 is signed only on the frontage roads.

The section of SH 249 north of its junction with Beltway 8 is referred to by area residents as the Tomball Parkway because it leads to and is the main road through Tomball. Along the east-west section between I-45 and West Montgomery, it is called West Mount Houston Road. West Mount Houston Road, however, actually extends east past the intersection of SH 249 at I-45.

Originally a part of FM 149, the highway was given the designation of SH 249 in 1988.[1] The highway's importance grew after Compaq Computer Corporation (now known as Hewlett-Packard) moved its headquarters close to the intersection of SH 249 and Louetta Rd.[14] In 2003, a portion of SH 249 in Tomball was renamed Business SH 249B from Hicks Road to Holderreith Road. This is because of bypass that bypasses Tomball on the west side of the city. In 2015, SH 249 was extended northwest 24.4 miles from FM 149 and FM 1774 to SH 105 near Stoneham. A section of SH 249 from Woodtrace Boulevard to FM 149 was renumbered as a southern extension of FM 1774 in December 2019.[15] On August 8, 2020, the section of SH 249 from FM 1774 to FM 1488 was opened.

Previously, SH 249 was designated on June 22, 1937[16] from then-SH 73 (now Interstate 10) near San Felipe north to the Brazos River. The route was redesignated on May 9, 1940 as Texas Spur 99.[17] The route became part of Farm to Market Road 1458 on January 20, 1966.

Current plans call for the highway to extend to the Bryan–College Station area. Continued growth in the Bryan/College Station, Conroe and NW Houston regions have congested existing roadways, including SH 105 and FM 1774. Texas A&M University and businesses in the Bryan/College Station area would benefit from faster connections to Bush-Intercontinental Airport, the Port of Houston and the Texas Medical Center. A bypass of Magnolia, Texas is desirable because of the large traffic load every October due to the annual Renaissance fair. Decreased funding for road projects in recent years had stalled the extension of SH 249. However the rapid growth in the area has led to a renewed push in 2012 to build further segments.

Plans for the middle segments (Pinehurst-Todd Mission) and north segment (Todd Mission-Navasota) were revived by the Texas Department of Transportation in early 2013. TxDOT has formed a working group with local officials and stakeholders to discuss alternatives for the SH 249 corridor.[18][19][20] The segment from Sentinel Oaks to FM 1774 in Pinehurst (maintained by MCTRA) opened in spring 2020.[9] From FM 1774 in Pinehurst, north up to SH 105 in Grimes County, SH 249 will be under the jurisdiction of TxDOT. The remaining portion of SH 249 in Montgomery County from FM 1488 to FM 1774 in Todd Mission is projected to be completed in spring 2021.[21] In Grimes County, the north segment will be constructed as a non-tolled two-lane freeway.[22] Construction in Grimes County began in late 2018 and is projected to be completed in spring 2023.[23][24]

The country music group Eli Young Band references "Highway 249" in their 2008 single "Always the Love Songs." Several of the band members grew up in Tomball.

All exits are unnumbered.

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Harris	Houston			I-45 (North Freeway) – Dallas, Downtown Houston	I-45 exit 57B
				Beltway 8 (Frontage Road) / Sam Houston Tollway	interchange; south end of freeway
				FM 1960 / Gessner Road	Access to Methodist Hospital Willowbrook
				Grant Road / Schroeder Road / Perry Road
				Cypresswood Drive
				Chasewood Park Drive / Compaq Center Drive / Cypresswood Drive / Perry Road	Access to CHI St. Luke's Health - The Vintage Hospital
				Louetta Road / Jones Road
	​			Spring-Cypress Road
	​			Northpointe Boulevard	Last free northbound exit before entering the Tomball Tollway[25]
	​			Tomball Tollway	Southern terminus of the Tomball Tollway[25]
	​			Toll gantry for both directions Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
	​			SH 99 Toll (Grand Parkway) / Boudreaux Road
	​			SH 99 Toll (Grand Parkway) – Katy, Spring	Future direct ramps to east and westbound Grand Parkway (SH 99) from northbound Tomball Tollway.[26]
	Tomball			Bus. SH 249 north (Tomball Parkway) / Holderrieth Road / Alice Road	Southern terminus of Bus. SH 249[27]
				FM 2920 / Bus. SH 249 south (Tomball Parkway) – Tomball, Hooks Airport / Alice Road	Northern terminus of Bus. SH 249[27]
				Brown Road / Baker Road / Zion Road	Access to Lone Star College-Tomball campus
	​			MCTRA 249 Tollway	Northern terminus of HCTRA's Tomball Tollway; southern terminus of MCTRA 249 Tollway[25]
Montgomery	​			Decker Prairie Road / Hardin Store Road	[28]
	​			Toll gantry for both directions Electronic toll tags only, cash and pay-by-mail not allowed
	​			FM 1774 – Magnolia - Woodtrace Boulevard	Southern terminus of FM 1774; only Wooodtrace Boulevard appears on the exit signage[28]
	​			SH 249 Toll	Northern terminus of MCTRA 249 Tollway; southern terminus of SH 249 Toll (Aggie Expressway)[25]
	​			FM 149 – Montgomery	[29]
	​			Toll gantry for both directions Electronic toll tags or pay-by-mail (cash not accepted)[12][30]
	​			Audubon Boulevard	Road not connected yet[31]
	​			FM 1488 – Hempstead, Magnolia, The Woodlands	Temporary northern terminus of SH 249 [29]
	​			FM 1486	Future - Toll road exit (Planned Montgomery County extension)[29]
Grimes	Todd Mission			FM 1774	Future exit (Planned Montgomery/Grimes County extension); northbound terminus of toll road and start of two-lane freeway[29][32]
	​			CR 304	Future exit (Planned Grimes County extension)[32][33]
	​			CR 306	Future exit (Planned Grimes County extension)[32][33]
	​			SH 105	Future interchange (Planned Grimes County extension)[32] Future - Northern terminus of SH 249 (Planned)[32][33]
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Tolled       Unopened