TxDOT NOW EXPECTING NEW HIGHWAY 105 BRIDGES TO OPEN TO TRAFFIC IN SUMMER
Completion of the Highway 105 bridge project between Brenham and Navasota is taking TxDOT longer than anticipated.
(Mark Whitehead)
Bob Colwell, Public Information Officer for TxDOT’s Bryan District, previously said that the agency planned for traffic to be shifted onto the new roadway at the end of February.
However, due to some delays with the bridge deck overlay construction at Coles Creek, Colwell said TxDOT now expects that traffic shift to take place this summer.
Once the bridge deck construction is finished, the bridge rail will be completed and the roadway will be ready to open for traffic. After traffic is moved to the new road, TxDOT’s contractor, James Construction Group, will complete the new FM 159 tie-in and demolish the old roadway.
(Mark Whitehead)
The bridge project includes bridges over Coles Creek and the Brazos and Navasota Rivers. It has been in the works for several years and has seen numerous weather-related delays.
The total construction cost for this project is $33.4 million.
This project is a complete boondoggle…..it was supposed to eliminate road closures due to flooding, make the road safer and accommodate more traffic, unfortunately it has not done anything except cost the taxpayers money.
It is obvious that this project has been mismanaged from the beginning and that no one is being held accountable. From poor design and initial construction to now when the contractor may or may nor show up for work no one seems to be responsible for ensuring this project is completed. I guess it will take another tragic accident before anyone pays attention to this project.
Yeah right. There is 0% chance that it will open this summer. I’ve never seen such a horrible job. I can completely understand why they stopped because of the rain surrounding hurricane Harvey. But the fact that it snowed for four days and it shut them down for two months is a joke. The amount of work that is to be done is impossible based on how that crew works. There was already an article where it was supposed to open at the end of January. Then there was an article how it was supposed to open at the end of February. Now they are saying it’s going to be this summer. I have no faith in that crews ability to get it done.
That job bid in May 2014 and was awarded for $23.6M. It had an original duration of 28 months. It has now been 7 years and $10M later. Let that sink in.
I drive past it multiple time a day and I never see anyone working. The concrete side rail on one of the bridges is completely missing. Nature has already started to reclaim some of the new road way and has weeds growing through the edge of the asphalt. The company should be sued and a new company brought in to finish the job. We were completely robbed for that money.
Exactly poor supervision on someones just like the bridge over the Colorado river east of Columbus…its a bridge with waves sitting uncompleted too!
This is as bad as US 290 ibn Harris county!
It doesn’t look to be any wider than the one now. It actually looks like it is narrower. That road is just horrible. I don’t understand why they would not make it wider. Or even better, redo the existing bridges and have the road divided. Hmmm.