CORINTH — City officials expect to begin construction this summer on two roads they say will help manage congestion in Corinth once major construction on Interstate 35E begins.
The two roads, Shady Rest Lane and Tower Ridge Drive, are schedule to be completed by early fall, City Manager Rick Chaffin said. The city council approved the hiring and funding for design and construction of the roads during a recent council meeting.
City staff officials say the roads are safety hazards because of their narrow width, sight-distance issues and the maintenance needed to provide a drivable surface.
The projects are among a number approved by the city recently sparked by the expansion of I-35E.
Tower Ridge sits to the west of I-35E, while Shady Rest sits to the east. Each road provides motorists with alternate routes that lead to multiple access points to the interstate.
Chaffin said Shady Rest and Tower Ridge are the only two roads city staff have identified as potential collector roads for overflow traffic from I-35E construction.
Without the reconstruction projects, the roads “do not come anywhere close to meeting the criteria of a collector road and pose safety challenges,” Public Works Director Justin Brown reported to the city council.
“This will be a complete rebuild of both roads,” he said.
Brown estimates the roads will be used as detours for at least 18 months while I-35E construction takes place.
The City Council approved more than $1.6 million to design and reconstruct the two roads. The council hired Freese and Nichols Inc. for the engineering design of Tower Ridge and Halff Associates for similar engineering design for Shady Rest Lane.
The proposed funding to pay for the project is expected to be pulled from multiple sources, which includes bonds, the city’s street maintenance tax fund, roadway impact fees and the city’s drainage fund, Brown said.
The 35Express project extends about 30 miles, through nine cities and two counties, from U.S. Highway 380 in Denton County to Interstate 635 in Dallas County. The northern segment of the project extends from U.S. 380 in Denton to Swisher Road.
The project is expected to relieve traffic congestion in traffic-heavy corridors, Texas Department of Transportation officials say.
Phase 1, which includes Corinth, is expected to be complete by mid-2017.
Phase 2 will begin after Phase 1 is completed and once funds have been identified.
The next council meeting is schedule for 7 p.m. Thursday at Corinth City Hall, located at 3300 Corinth Parkway.
JOHN D. HARDEN can be reached at 940-566-6882 and via Twitter at @JDHarden.
