Projects awarded in March

In an ongoing effort to improve safety and address congestion, the Texas Transportation Commission last month awarded $3.4 million in contracts, split among four projects, including the repair of park roads at Garner State Park and upgrades to signals in San Antonio and Atascosa counties.

Salinas Construction, of New Braunfels, will repair and resurface the roads and parking lots at the park. All this work will be done on areas that are already paved; no new pavement is being placed at the park. The total project cost is $1.1 million, with $891,000 in construction costs.

“Our state’s natural beauty has long been a point of pride, so it is imperative that we keep state park roadways safe for Texans and out-of-state visitors,” said Commissioner Fred Underwood, of the Texas Transportation Commission. “The benefits offered by our state parks will continue to be enjoyed by all with the approval of this project.”

Other projects awarded to contractors include an upgrade of traffic signals at five intersections along North Bryan Street near Pleasanton High School. Signals at Highway 97, Adams Street, Stadium Drive, Goodwin Street and Bensdale Road will be upgraded, and the intersection of Wilshire Road will get a new set of signals. These signals will include smart technology, allowing the signals to communicate with one another to optimize traffic flow.

Levy Construction will perform this signal work, winning the job with a bid of $740,000. The overall project cost is estimated at $1 million.

Levy will also perform work to upgrade various traffic signals across Bexar County as part of a district-wide initiative, directed by the district traffic engineer. The contract for this work is worth $1.3 million, with a total project cost of $1.6 million.

Rounding the list of projects approved by the commission last month is the repair of the Leon Creek bridge on Somerset Road in Bexar County. K-Bar Services, of Pleasanton, will rehabilitate the surface of the bridge deck. Their awarded contract is worth $425,300; the total project cost is $462,000.

These projects will begin this summer. None of them will take more than a few months to complete.

In Uvalde: Drain and driving improvements for Hwy 55

In a project set to start January 6, we are adding a center left-turn lane and significant storm drain upgrades in a year-long project on state Highway 55 through the northern neighborhoods of Uvalde.

Ray Faris, Inc., of San Antonio, will build the $3 million project that addresses long-standing needs for the 1.25-mile stretch of state highway from U.S. Highway 83 to just beyond the city limits. Curbs and sidewalks will line the refurbished road, offering residents of the neighborhood a safer route as they walk or bike to various destinations.

We believe this project will improve the quality of life for those living in this immediate neighborhood, and the quality of drive for those passing through. We’re proud to be partnering with the city of Uvalde to make this project go.

The first phase of work will include a temporary widening of the road on the westbound side of the road, allowing traffic to shift over while crews build the planned drain boxes along the eastbound side of the road.

If you're in Uvalde....

Come see us as we talk about the upgrades we're doing to state Highway 55 - Antonio Street, if you're a local - beginning later this year.

Mostly, we're adding a center left-turn lane as well as curbs and sidewalks. We're looking forward to the way this will look when we're done - something along these lines:

We'll be in the Cactus Room at the Uvalde Civic Center between 4 and 6:30 p.m. The gathering is an informal, open-house format. Simply stop by and see what we've got going on!

Antonio Street project workshop planned (Uvalde)

The Texas Department of Transportation will hold an open-house workshop Thursday night between 4 and 6:30 p.m. at Willie DeLeon Civic Center detailing improvements to Antonio Street set to be constructed later this year.

The orange highlighted area marks the area to be worked on beginning this fall. TxDOT is widening the roadway to accomodate a center left-turn lane and is adding curbs and sidewalks.

The mile-and-a-half of state Highway 55 on the north side of Uvalde will be widened to include a center left-turn lane and will get curbs and sidewalks. Driveways along the route will be defined by the construction and storm drain features will be added to improve drainage. The work will take about a year to accomplish once a contractor is selected and work begins – all scheduled for later this summer.

This cross-section view shows an example of what TxDOT proposes to do on Antonio Street in Uvalde.

The open house will be an informal gathering with several stations set up for residents of the area and other interested parties to get information on the project. Doors to the event, held at the DeLeon Civic Center Cactus Room, will open at 4 p.m. and TxDOT representatives will wrap up at 6:30 p.m.