TXDOT Projects This Week in East Texas
Posted/updated on: November 24, 2014 at 5:15 pm
EAST TEXAS — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District during the next two weeks: Officials remind drivers that many area roadways have high traffic volumes and that only increases during the holiday season. TxDOT is reminding motorists to slow down, put away the cell phones and pay attention when traveling through work zones so that everyone can safely reach their destinations.
Heightened awareness is requested for the safety of the traveling public as well as workers. A local flagger recently sustained serious injuries on the SH 64 project between Chapel Hill and Arp when a driver collided with stopped traffic. Remember, there can be as many as 2,500 active highway construction or maintenance work zones at any time on the 80,000 miles of roadway that TxDOT maintains. Drivers not paying attention and speeding are the two most common causes of crashes in work zones. Join TxDOT in making safety a commitment every day.
SMITH COUNTY, Texas – Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintenance crews
in Tyler this week will be doing edge work on FM 2813 between U.S. 69 and FM 2493.
Look for the roadway to be reduced to one lane with flaggers directing traffic
through the work zone.
Use caution when traveling through the following construction projects in Smith County:
SH 31E Widening Project
* Limits: From FM 757 to FM 1639
* Contractor: Reynolds & Kay, LTD
* Cost: $7.8 million
Scheduled to begin Thanksgiving Week, this project, approved by the Texas
Transportation Commission in August, consists of widening SH 31 to add passing lanes
for multiple sections of roadway in both the eastbound and westbound directions.
Once the widening is complete, a seal coat and final surface will be applied.
Motorists should expect delays as wells as a daily construction speed limit of 60
mph when work is being performed on this job which is expected to about 18 months to
complete.
SH 31E Widening Project
* Limits: From FM 850 to FM 757
* Contractor: East Texas Bridge, Inc.
* Cost: $3.4 million
This widening project runs from FM 850, east of Tyler, to FM 757. It is scheduled
for completion next spring.
Off-System Bridge Replacement Projects
* Locations:
* County Road (CR) 448
* County Road (CR) 46
* Contractor: $490,000
Barricades will be set on November 10th for the CR 448 project which carries traffic
to the popular Sky Ranch. Motorists should look for message boards put in place with
closure and detour information. The work is expected to take a couple of months to
complete. CR 46 will then be shut down for its bridge replacement, which is also
expected to take about two months to complete.
Loop 323
* Limits: Tyler’s West Loop and SH 31
* Contractor: Longview Bridge and Road, Ltd.
This widening and railroad bridge replacement project continues with the contractor
constructing the shoofly bridge. Motorists should expect intermittent delays during
this work. Look for new speed limit signs in this area as it has been reduced to 45
mph from SH 64 to Shaw Street on Loop 323.
SH 64
* Limits: from Chapel Hill to Arp
* Contractor: Drewery Construction
* Cost: $3.9 million
TxDOT is asking motorists to use extra caution and watch for flaggers providing
traffic control when traveling through this work zone. This Super 2 widening project
continues and consists of clearing and grading. The dirt work is currently being
performed from CR 299 to just west of Arp where the work zone speed limit is set at
60 mph. This is a daily speed zone reduction and will only be posted when workers
are present. Expect lane closures.
ANDERSON COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintenance
crews in Palestine plan to continue ditch work on FM 837 as well as the moving mill
and inlay operation on the northern side of Loop 256 between U.S. 84E and FM 320W.
The resurfacing work includes milling (grinding) two inches of the existing pavement
off of the loop and replacing it with two inches of asphalt pavement. The work will
be performed in various locations from U.S. 84E to FM 320W. Traffic will be reduced
from four lanes to three lanes at the work locations. Once completed, the operation
will move to SH 19N with work being conducted at numerous areas between Montalba and
U.S. 287. Motorists should expect lane closures at that location as well. Slow down
and be safe when traveling through these work zones.
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintenance
crews in Jacksonville and Rusk are conducting base repairs on various roadways
around the county this week. Watch for signage put in place as well as flaggers to
help navigate through the work zones.
GREGG COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintenance crews
in Longview will spend the next couple of weeks working to widen the shoulders of
the southbound lane of U.S. 259N just north of Spur 502. Another crew will be doing
patch work on U.S. 259 from the area of Henderson Lane north to the county line.
Slow down and pay attention when traveling along this area.
Construction projects in Gregg County are as follows:
FM 2275 George Richey Extension (Segments II & III)
* Limits: McCann Road to U.S. 259
* Contractor: East Texas Bridge, Inc.
The clearing between Judson Road and Airline Road continues. Excavation, embankment,
bridge construction and storm drain work are ongoing between McCann Road and Judson
Road. This is new location construction work and is not expected to impact traffic.
FM 2208 (Alpine Road) at Smelley Road
* Limits: From North Loop 281 to FM 2879
* Contractor: Longview Bridge and Road, Ltd.
The newly installed traffic signal will be in operation at this intersection
starting Monday, November 24. The traveling public is urged to use caution as
motorists get acclimated to the upgrades. Remember, this job includes installing a
turn lane and upgrading the flashing yellow lights to a full traffic signal. Slow
down and pay attention when traveling through this work zone as the project
progresses.
Loop 281 at FM 2087 Overpass
* Limits: SH 31 to approximately one mile south of SH 31
* Contractor: Longview Bridge and Road, Ltd.
This project is in Phase III of construction with traffic moved off the existing
Loop onto the detours. The contractor is constructing a temporary retaining wall,
the bridge headers and storm drain. Traffic can expect some delays during the peak
evening hours. Caution advised during travel through this work zone.
SH 42
* Limits: From SH 31 north to I-20
* Contractor: Reynolds & Kay, Ltd.
Current work includes constructing curb and gutter and forming and pouring concrete
driveways. Drivers can expect minimal impacts at this time. The project includes
constructing a turn lane at Hillcrest Road, and guardrail work. As the project
continues motorists can expect to see nighttime operations being implemented. Slow
down and pay attention when traveling through work zones.
Spinks-Chapman County Road
* Limits: At the Rabbit Creek Bridge just east of Meadows Lane
* Contractor: Massana Construction, Inc.
Construction of the bridge continues on Spinks Chapman Road southwest of the I-20
and SH 31 interchange near Kilgore. Spinks-Chapman Road is closed to through traffic
between Meadows Lane and Norris Road while the bridge is under construction. Work
this week includes constructing the roadway leading up to the bridge. Motorists must
use alternative routes to reach their destinations.
I-20 Dynamic Message Signs (DMS)
* Locations:
* East of FM 1255 westbound – Van Zandt County
* West of FM 849 eastbound – Smith County
* Derrick Park westbound – Smith County
* Contractor: Highway Intelligent Traffic Solutions Corp.
The contractor is installing these DMS’s at the aforementioned locations. This work
will have minimal impact on the traveling public.
HENDERSON COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews in
Athens are continuing edge work on FM 1667 in Trinidad from SH 31 to the End of
State Maintenance and on FM 764. A second crew will be doing drainage work on
various roadways including, FM 85, SH 274 and SH 334. Look for and obey flaggers
conducting traffic control in this work zone. The work includes using heavy
equipment. Slow down, use caution and expect lane closures with flaggers handling
traffic control when traveling through the work zone.
* On the FM 317 widening project from FM 607 to FM 314, the contractor is
backfilling pavement and culverts with plans to begin laying hot mix in about a
week.
RUSK COUNTY – If weather permits, Texas Department of Transportation
maintenance crews in Henderson will be placing an overlay on FM 225 between FM 1798
and U.S. 84 this week. The work requires reducing the roadway to one lane with
traffic controlled by a flaggers and a pilot car. Use caution when approaching and
driving through this work zone which includes the use of heavy equipment.
Here’s a look at construction project in Rusk County:
SH 64
* Limits: 0.173 miles west of BU 64E (N. Marshall St.) east to 0.2 miles west of
U.S. 79 (The Traffic Star)
* Contractor: Lonestar Equipment Company, Inc.
Work has resumed on this $2.1 million construction project on SH 64 in Henderson
which initially began got in August 2013. The project has experienced some delays
due to utility adjustments and other unforeseen issues, but is expected to be
completed in summer 2015. It consists of widening the existing two-lane roadway and
constructing a four-lane facility along with a continuous Left Turn Lane. The
contractor, L.S. Equipment Co., of Henderson, will perform the majority of the work
outside the existing travel lanes, thereby lessening the impact on traffic.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews in
Canton will continue to perform level up operations followed by placing an overlay
on FM 1805 from SH 110 for three and a half miles eastward. Use caution as daytime
lane closures will be in effect.
To avoid interrupting the flow of holiday traffic, TxDOT contractors will not
implement lane closures on the following construction projects from Wednesday
through Sunday of Thanksgiving Week:
* Beam, rail and deck work are in the plans on the CR 2702 Bridge Replacement
Project at Lacy Fork Tributary for the next couple of weeks. The roadway is closed
to traffic.
* Culvert work continues on the SH 198 project from SH 243 southwest to 0.4
miles northeast of FM 316 near Phalba.
* On FM 314 from I-20 to the Van Zandt/Henderson County Line, the contractor is
setting barricades and conducting culvert work south of Edom.
WOOD COUNTY – Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews in Mineola
will continue base repair work on FM 14 at FM 49 this week. Expect a lane of this
roadway to be closed during the work. Mineola Maintenance will also be conducting
erosion pair on FM 2966 about a mile south of FM 515 as well as moving operations on
FM 49 to cut high shoulders, and routine edge repairs on FM 2869. Use caution when
traveling in these locations as they are active work zones
Meanwhile, final cleanup is under way on the U.S. 69 widening project in Mineola.
The roadway is being widened from Loop 564 in Mineola to FM 779 in Golden. Final
cleanup is also being conducted on the SH 154 project from Lake Fork to Quitman. To
allow for the steady flow of holiday traffic, there will be no lane closures at
either of these locations Wednesday through Sunday of Thanksgiving Week.
