The Texas Department of Transportation is ready to begin a $17 million project to widen six miles of the Marsha Sharp Freeway (US 62/82) from a four-lane to a six-lane (three lanes in each direction) facility. Project contractor Webber, LLC., from The Woodlands, Texas, will begin setting traffic control along the construction zone on Monday, March 6.
“Project limits are from Avenue L to west Loop 289,” said Mike Wittie, TxDOT Lubbock Area engineer. “The inside shoulders, in both directions, will be closed to traffic during construction and motorists can also expect various lane closures but the majority of work will take place in the median.”
No major construction work will take place on the freeway bridges.
“The bridges and overpasses were designed to be able to carry an extra lane of traffic. The inside shoulders are 12-ft wide, and were also designed for future expansion,” Wittie said. ““The median work will modify drainage structures to accommodate a new concrete traffic barrier that will be installed to separate traffic. New illumination will also be mounted. It will very much look like south Loop 289 when work is finished.”
Work is scheduled to begin at the west Loop 289 end of the project and continue eastward.
“Speed limits in the active construction zone will be reduced by 10 mph and drivers are advised to watch out for slow moving construction equipment entering the roadway,” Wittie added.
The project is scheduled to be completed in December 2017
(News release from TxDOT)
