End of the road nears for some construction

MARBLE FALLS —Though construction has been causing significant gridlock along several of the city’s major roads, the highway department is working hard to get things back to normal in the next few weeks, a state official said.

However, work on the U.S. 281 bridge replacement project is about six months behind schedule, officials with the Texas Department of Transportation confirmed Friday.

Construction crews involved in the three major projects — the bridge over Lake Marble Falls, work on RR 1431 and FM 2147 — are working as fast as they can, officials said.

“The biggest part of the delays should be behind us for this summer,” said Howard L. Lyons, the Burnet Area engineer for TxDOT.

“Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid all inconveniences with construction, but we try to take the worst-case scenario out of play by doing night work on 2147, 1431 and 281 to the largest extent possible,” he added.

Both TxDOT’s projects and several by the city on municipal roads will yield great returns in the future, said City Manager Ralph Hendricks.