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ATLANTA – TxDOT is replacing two narrow bridges on US 271 in northwest Titus County over the next couple of years according to plans approved in June by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
“We will be replacing the bridges crossing Ripley Creek and Ripley Creek Relief,” said Bill Compton, area engineer for TxDOT in Mount Pleasant. “The current structures are 26 feet wide, and the new ones will be 44 feet wide with two 12-foot traffic lanes and 10-foot shoulders on each side. We will also be raising the elevation of the bridges about nine feet to improve drainage under the bridges.”
The construction of the new bridges is to the northeast of the present highway, so traffic will continue to use the current facilities while crews conduct the work.
Awarded the contract for the project is Longview Bridge and Road of Longview with a bid of $9.0 million.
Work on the project should begin in September and take about 26 months to complete, Compton said.
ATLANTA – Three intersections in Mount Pleasant will have improvements made to their traffic control systems during the coming year, according to plans approved in June by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
“The signal lights at the intersection of State Highway 49 (Ferguson Road) at Arizona and Madison Streets and Bus. 271 (South Jefferson Avenue) at Pecan Street will be upgraded to add a new feature—a flashing yellow arrow light,” said Rebecca Wells, district traffic engineer for TxDOT in Atlanta. “The left-turn signals will have a green arrow, a flashing yellow arrow, a steady yellow arrow and a red arrow.
“A steady green arrow means motorists can safely make a left turn as oncoming traffic has a red light. A flashing yellow arrow means left turns are allowed, but turning drivers must yield to oncoming traffic which now is a green signal light. A steady yellow arrow means prepare to stop, and a steady red arrow, of course, means stop,” Wells said.
The flashing yellow arrow replaces the solid green ball light which meant the same thing, but sometimes confused drivers who thought they still had a protected left turn.
The flashing yellow arrow signals are the result of a nationwide study by the Federal Highway Administration that amended the federal standards for left-turn signals.
The signals will also have video cameras attached to computerized systems that identify when traffic is approaching the intersection and will change the signal lights accordingly to move traffic more efficiently.
“We will also be installing additional street lights and advanced warning signs the intersections,” said Wells. “And we will be adding pedestrian crosswalks with activation buttons and wheelchair ramps at the Bus. 271 and Pecan Street intersection.”
Awarded the contract is Striping Technology of Tyler for these traffic control projects with a bid of $499,737.
Work on the projects should begin in September and take about 13 months to complete, Wells said.