US 281 bridge construction winds down as FM 2147 work to begin
JARED FIELDS • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — The finishing touches are being put on the U.S. 281 bridge in Marble Falls.
Kelli Reyna, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Transportation, said most of the remaining work will be completed over the next month.
The weather’s cooperation, she said, is the main factor.
“The contractor’s remaining work items include finishing the retention ponds below the bridge, setting the remaining pavers/grout at the pedestrian crossings and medians, setting the crash cushions, landscaping and performing final striping,” Reyna said.
The final striping won’t be finished until the weather warms up in March or April and the final roadway surface is placed.
“The final roadway surface will be an overlay that will smooth out the transitions from the bridge to the asphalt surface,” Reyna said. “The final surface will aid in covering up old striping from the various phase changes that have taken place during construction.”
As the U.S. 281 bridge project winds down, another road project is about to begin.
A 1.45 mile-long stretch of FM 2147 from the east side of Cottonwood Shores to a half-mile west of Wirtz Dam in Horseshoe Bay will add a continuous left-turn lane.
Erosion control devices will be installed in the coming weeks, Reyna said, although the heavy construction won’t begin until after the new year.
“The addition of a continuous left-turn lane and shoulders will enhance safety for drivers, as well as address congestion in the Cottonwood Shores and Horseshoe Bay areas as the traffic demands on FM 2147 continue to grow,” she said.
Reyna added that the contractor estimates the work to finish in August or September 2015 and is budgeted to cost $2.4 million.
“This provides motorists a safe place to make left turns, instead of sitting in the travel lane, and prevents traffic delays for those drivers wishing to proceed straight,” Reyna said.
jared@thepicayune.com