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Federal funding helps defray city’s cost for Rowlett Road project
By Kenny Green, kgreen@starlocalnews.com
Motorists that pass through Rowlett have seen their share of construction on Rowlett Road over the last several years so it comes as no surprise the thoroughfare is currently undergoing more work.
The current project is intended to widen the road to three lanes in each direction from Century Drive to Main Street. In the past the road has shrunk to two lanes, often creating a bottleneck that the city wants to eliminate.
“We are widening the road to three lanes with some median improvements,’ said Dennis Abraham, city engineer. “Before [the new project] you had three lanes until you got close to Main Street where it shrank to two lanes. This project will open up the roadway from Main Street all the way to Miller Road.”
“We received the federal funds because we were shovel-ready with the project,” Abraham said. “With the federal funds, the city pays 20 percent and the federal government pays 80 percent.”
Rowlett Road was chosen as the project to utilize the federal funds because it is the city’s third largest thoroughfare behind the President George Bush Turnpike and U.S. 66.
“When you have a bottleneck on one of your largest thoroughfares, you want to try and open it up,” Abraham said. “Eliminating the bottleneck means motorists will spend less time in traffic and will provide better access for emergency services. It will also help with environmental pollution.”
Due to good weather, progress on the project is well ahead of schedule and should be completed this summer.
“Tricon, a local construction company based here in Rowlett, has done an outstanding job of staying well ahead of schedule. The weather this winter has been most favorable and these guys are just flat out getting it done. We expect they will be finished well ahead of schedule and on budget,” said Jim Proce, public works director.
“They are already done with one side of the road and are working on the other,” Abraham said. “They were supposed to finish in September but, weather permitting, I think they will finish way early.”
For information on the project or to track its progress, visit www.rowlett.com.
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