The Texas Department of Public Safety is still moving along on the work for the proposed outer route.
“It is still in the proposed phase,” Dianah Ascencio with TxDOT said.
“We are about in the middle of the planning process of getting this project from conception all the way to where we are actually turning dirt on the project,” she said.
The total project would connect US 84 near Shallowater with US 84 near Slaton, going around Wolfforth in the south.
Wednesday, TxDOT is focusing on the portion of the project from US 87 to US 62/82, with the proposed route along FM 1585. This is the third phase, which includes engineering and environmental impacts this project would have on the area.
“At that point, we do have a designated corridor, which is FM 1585, and at the end of this, we would know the exact alignment of it,” Ascencio said. “After this, hopefully we’ll get environmental clearance by early 2017, and at that point we will be able to have a survey done of the right of way, and begin to acquire right of way hopefully by the end of 2017, and then if we do have funding, construction should begin in 2020.”
TxDOT first started working on a possible outer route a few years ago, after finishing a feasibility study in 201. After that, TxDOT did a route study where they looked at where they could possibly put an outer route.
“Lubbock is growing and it’s been growing exponentially over the last few years. So in order for us to try to stay ahead of that transportation curve, we’ve been working with our partners at the city, the county, to look at ways we can improve transportation here in Lubbock County,” she said.
TxDOT has a website where you can find information about the Outer Route project, found here.
