Missouri City has taken the first steps toward building a roundabout at the intersection of Henry Watts Road and Knight Road as the existing intersection sees an increase in traffic.

Zooming in: At a March 4 meeting, Missouri City City Council approved a $314,668 contract with Lichliter/Jameson & Associates for the design of the roundabout at the intersection of Henry Watts Road and Knight Road. Mayor Robin Elackatt dissented, citing issues with the way the firm was chosen.

The roundabout was deemed necessary by city staff due to increased traffic as a result of the construction of Town Center III Development and the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s park and ride facility, according to agenda documents. Knight Road was also recently widened and extended to connect to McKeever Road.

What’s next: Design services are expected to take no more than eight months, with construction anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2027, per agenda documents.

Check out some businesses in the Sugar Land-Missouri City area that have recently opened, as reported by Community Impact. This list is not comprehensive.

Kawaii Klaws: The arcade chain, located in First Colony Mall, invites visitors to play claw machines to win prizes including plushies. The chain has 20 stores nationwide, including five currently open in Texas, including one in The Woodlands.

• Opened Jan. 28
• 16535 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land

• Opened Feb. 23
• 3434 FM 1092, Missouri City

• Opened Feb. 26
• 5752 Hwy. 6, Missouri City

Officials with the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee announced in a news conference Feb. 27 a new initiative called Freekicks Soccer.

The program—in collaboration with the Houston Host Committee, the city of Houston, Harris County Precincts 1-4 and the youth soccer community—is designed to address the limited access to organized soccer for youth in underserved communities across Harris County.

What you need to know: The initiative will construct and refurbish 23 soccer pitches, or fields, across six parks in the county, including:

• Blue Ridge Park: 13845 Blue Ridge Road, Houston
• George Bush Park: 16756 Westheimer Parkway, Houston
• Moody Park: 3725 Fulton St., Houston
• Alabonson Park: 9652 N. Houston Rosslyn Road, Houston
• Baytown Soccer Complex: 9600 N. Main St., Baytown
• Keith-Wiess Park: 12300 Aldine Westfield Road, Houston

Over 2.3 million Democrats and nearly 2.2 million Republicans voted in the March 3 election, according to unofficial election results from the secretary of state. Totaling nearly 4.5 million voters, this is “the highest voter turnout for a primary in Texas history,” the secretary of state’s office said.

By the numbers: Nearly one-fourth of Texas’ 18.7 million registered voters participated in the primaries, shattering turnout rates from recent years. Less than one-fifth of registered voters cast ballots in the 2024 presidential and 2022 midterm primaries, state election records show.

Texas’ previous primary turnout record was set in 2008, when 4.2 million voters cast ballots in high-profile presidential primaries.

Zooming in: Election data shows the most people cast votes in the high-profile U.S. Senate races that topped the ticket, with the total numbers of votes steadily decreasing down the ballot in both primaries.

There is “some certainty” that voter enthusiasm will extend to the November midterm election, Republican data analyst Ross Hunt told Community Impact during early voting.