Story Created:
Feb 7, 2008 at 7:32 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Apr 8, 2008 at 5:56 PM CDT
A project on I-44 on the north side of town has one viewer wanting to know when the work will be finished?
The highway in question is the stretch of I-44 from Symour Highway to the Sheppard Access Exit. "My question is the construction time period. I'd really like to knowhow long is this going to last," asked Ann Lewis.
Ann Kisor and her husband use that roadway quite a bit. And she says the road work seems like it has lasted for quite some time. She adds it's a dangerous stretch of road that has had other implications... like cutting many businesses off from customers. We took the question to the Texas Department of Transportation's spokesperson Adele Lewis.
"This road was originally built back during the 1960s and it was old US 281-277 route," said Lewis.
Once it became I-44 truck and vehicle traffic increased dramatically. Lewis says all things considered, the road had lived its useful lifespan. It also had another thing going against it. "There's virtually no rebar in that concrete, in that road and it's very thin concrete and so its not holding up to the truck traffic," said Lewis.
With it costng more to maintain the roadway than to rebuild it--officials decided its time for a complete overhaul. As for the business disruptions, there is good news coming.
We learned late this afternoon, the work on the two outside lanes is almost complete. Next week, is the scheduled switch week. That means the outside lanes will be opened and work moves to the inside lanes. All construction is scheduled to be completed by may 23rd.... ahead of schedule.
The highway in question is the stretch of I-44 from Symour Highway to the Sheppard Access Exit.
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