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TxDOT: Traffic on 10, 90 to flow smoothly by year’s end
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| The closure of the 1-10 westbound entrance ramp at Crosby-Lynchburg Road due to construction has frustrated drivers for months. According to TxDOT, however, the project is ahead of schedule and could be completed as early as March. |
By JOSH HARDWICK
A spokesperson with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced Tuesday that several major freeway construction projects will be nearing completion by the end of 2009.
Quincy Allen, area engineer for TxDOT’s Southeast Houston office told members of the Baytown Chamber of Commerce that the projects – some of which have long been the cause of heavy traffic along Interstate 10 and Spur 330 – are ahead of schedule thanks to aggressive contractors and around-the-clock work.
Traffic along I-10 near Crosby-Lynchburg and the San Jacinto River has become a daily gridlock ever since the state began a two-phase project to widen that section of the freeway, stranding motorists driving to and from Baytown and Houston for hours on end.
Allen said that contractors are currently 60 days away from completing phase one of the project, which involves replacing deteriorated pavement and adding an additional traffic lane to the I-10/Spur 330 eastbound interchange.
Widening the westbound stretch is expected to take an additional 177 days. Contract crews are working day and night on the project to obtain as much as a $1.2 million bonus for completing it up to 30 days ahead of schedule.
The project has frustrated drivers in the area, especially when TxDOT made the decision to close the inbound ramp from Crosby-Lynchburg to I-10 for the duration of the project.
Mindful of the headaches congestion along I-10 is causing residents, Allen insisted that the agency is doing everything it can to expedite construction.
“The single best thing we can do to get a job like this moving is to offer an incentive, and early completion bonuses have been a very successful tactic,” he said.
The state is also nearing completion on a $16.2 million plan to redesign the intersection of Spur 330 and Highway 146 in Baytown. Allen listed that project as 75% percent complete and proceeding about 27 days ahead of schedule, all despite a three week delay from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Meanwhile residents of Crosby, Highlands and Barrett Station looking for easier access to the city of Houston should be able to drive from Highway 90 to I-10 by year’s end.
The $138 million plan to complete Highway 90 has seen numerous setbacks and construction lapses, but Allen reported that the long-awaited project is finally in its home stretch.
“We were able to connect to the dots with that project and are now anxious to have it done by the end of this year,” he said.
When combined the three projects amount to over $160 million in freeway improvements. Meanwhile TxDOT is preparing to cooperate with the new incoming presidential administration to secure more funding for similar projects across the state.
State Rep. Wayne Smith told members of the Baytown Chamber of Commerce that TxDOT has sent a planning team to Washington, D.C. to work with the Obama administration. Should an economic stimulus package be approved by Congress, TxDOT has assembled requests for up to $6 billion in state roadway projects.
Allen said he wasn’t sure what, if any, assistance the agency would receive from the federal government but says TxDOT has designed hundreds of projects awaiting funding.
“We feel like we can accommodate any amount of money that comes to Texas,” he said.
Quincy Allen, area engineer for TxDOT’s Southeast Houston office told members of the Baytown Chamber of Commerce that the projects – some of which have long been the cause of heavy traffic along Interstate 10 and Spur 330 – are ahead of schedule thanks to aggressive contractors and around-the-clock work.
Traffic along I-10 near Crosby-Lynchburg and the San Jacinto River has become a daily gridlock ever since the state began a two-phase project to widen that section of the freeway, stranding motorists driving to and from Baytown and Houston for hours on end.
Allen said that contractors are currently 60 days away from completing phase one of the project, which involves replacing deteriorated pavement and adding an additional traffic lane to the I-10/Spur 330 eastbound interchange.
Widening the westbound stretch is expected to take an additional 177 days. Contract crews are working day and night on the project to obtain as much as a $1.2 million bonus for completing it up to 30 days ahead of schedule.
The project has frustrated drivers in the area, especially when TxDOT made the decision to close the inbound ramp from Crosby-Lynchburg to I-10 for the duration of the project.
Mindful of the headaches congestion along I-10 is causing residents, Allen insisted that the agency is doing everything it can to expedite construction.
“The single best thing we can do to get a job like this moving is to offer an incentive, and early completion bonuses have been a very successful tactic,” he said.
The state is also nearing completion on a $16.2 million plan to redesign the intersection of Spur 330 and Highway 146 in Baytown. Allen listed that project as 75% percent complete and proceeding about 27 days ahead of schedule, all despite a three week delay from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Meanwhile residents of Crosby, Highlands and Barrett Station looking for easier access to the city of Houston should be able to drive from Highway 90 to I-10 by year’s end.
The $138 million plan to complete Highway 90 has seen numerous setbacks and construction lapses, but Allen reported that the long-awaited project is finally in its home stretch.
“We were able to connect to the dots with that project and are now anxious to have it done by the end of this year,” he said.
When combined the three projects amount to over $160 million in freeway improvements. Meanwhile TxDOT is preparing to cooperate with the new incoming presidential administration to secure more funding for similar projects across the state.
State Rep. Wayne Smith told members of the Baytown Chamber of Commerce that TxDOT has sent a planning team to Washington, D.C. to work with the Obama administration. Should an economic stimulus package be approved by Congress, TxDOT has assembled requests for up to $6 billion in state roadway projects.
Allen said he wasn’t sure what, if any, assistance the agency would receive from the federal government but says TxDOT has designed hundreds of projects awaiting funding.
“We feel like we can accommodate any amount of money that comes to Texas,” he said.
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