Monday, April 29, 2024
Delays keep coming for Hood County’s much-anticipated Cresson Relief Route.
Although the bypass project had previously been scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2024, a recent update from the Texas Department of Transportation has confirmed the long-awaited project will not be officially completed until late 2025.
Shawna Russell, TxDOT’s director of communications for the Fort Worth district, sent an email to Cresson Mayor Teena Putteet Conway Monday, Dec. 4, with an update on the construction.
“After reviewing the work needed to ensure and maximize the longevity of the roadway, TxDOT staff and the contractor have determined the project is estimated to be completed in late 2025,” Russell’s email reads.
However, even though the entire project will not be finished until 2025, Russell explained that the updated schedule also estimates the southbound bridge will be open to traffic as soon as the summer of 2024.
“Southbound U.S. 377 traffic will be able to drive the length of the relief route over the railroad bridge and reconnect to U.S. 377 south of Old Granbury Road in the summer of 2024,” Russel’s email states. “The schedule estimates work within the project limits — including the full length of the northbound relief route and the Old Granbury Road intersections — will be finished by late 2025.”
In addition, illumination lighting is scheduled to be completed after the southbound lanes are in “their final configuration,” — which will either be late summer or fall of 2024 — as this will ensure the lines are not damaged by further construction activity.
CONSTRUCTION DELAY
An update on the Cresson bypass couldn’t come at a better time, as social media has been flooded with posts in the past month from several community members requesting an update on the Cresson Relief Route project.
Many locals posted on the Hood County Breaking News Facebook page asking if work had stopped on the bypass as they stated active construction had not been taking place on the project in quite some time.
To confirm the construction delay, the HCN reached out to TxDOT Public Information Officer Bethany Kurtz who confirmed construction was paused due to a soil stabilization issue.
“Work on the Cresson Relief Route Project ran into a soil issue, which resulted in the need for additional soil stabilization work,” Kurtz said, in an email to the HCN. “This work began in November and will continue into the spring of 2024, when paving work is scheduled to resume. Much of the work over the next few months is inside the project area and may not be visible from U.S. 377. Motorists are encouraged to always drive safely and remain aware through the corridor, as it remains an active work zone.”
Russell’s email to Conway also confirms the soil delay, when she states, “Work has resumed, and crews are working to address the areas requiring soil stabilization treatment. It is both exciting and encouraging that work is underway again.”
Kurtz also told the HCN that TxDOT is “actively working with all partners in the project corridor, including the relief route contractor and Fort Worth & Western Railroad (FWWR).
"Our top priorities are minimizing the disruptions currently being experienced by the intersection of FWWR's rail line with U.S. 377 and advancing the relief route project as safely and quickly as possible,” she said, adding that TxDOT is working with the contractor to “pursue options to expedite the project.”
HISTORY
According to zachryconstructioncorp.com, the Zachry Construction Corporation was awarded the $61 million contract in April 2019 to construct a relief route along U.S. 377 and State Highway 171 in Cresson. The project entails constructing a three-mile route west of Cresson and building two bridges over the FWWR tracks to increase driver safety and ease commuter delays.
According to a previous article in the Hood County News, the project was updated in January 2023 to reveal that the three-mile relief route will be a new four-lane divided highway with an overpass over the train tracks beginning one mile south of the intersection of U.S. Highway 377 and state Highway 171 and ending one mile north of that intersection.
The current U.S. Highway 377 lanes will then become Business Highway 377.
Once finished, motorists will no longer have to endure the lengthy backups that sometimes occur at the intersection of U.S. 377 and SH 171, where there is a railyard switching station.
SAFETY
As motorists drive through the construction zone, TxDOT recommends drivers to be mindful of work zone safety and to protect themselves, their passengers and construction workers.
Drivers are encouraged to:
The HCN will continue to update the public on the Cresson Relief Route as more information becomes available.
