TxDOT to begin $20 million Hwy. 114 projects

The Texas Department of Transportation is starting on a highway widening projects for Hwy. 114 stretching from just west of FM 1769 in Young County to the Hwy. 281 junction in Jack County.

According to TxDOT Public Information Officers Adele Lewis and Michael Peters, the projects will be broken up into two pieces with an about 12 mile stretch in Young County being completed first.

Lewis said the project is very early on because work had not started as of Oct. 10. However, they should begin mobilizing equipment to break ground on the project soon.

“It’s (the Young County portion) basically a $13.3 million job to upgrade (Hwy.) 114, from (FM) 1769 to the Jack County line to a super two highway,” Lewis said. “What a super two means, it’s like a three-lane road and every two miles, you get two lanes in order to have a passing lane. So, Eastbound would get a passing lane for two miles then it would switch to Westbound getting two miles of it. So, it flip flops, so that you are always going to have a chance to pass slower or bigger vehicles.”

She said the job will entail TxDOT widening, repaving, relining and adding new signs to the route.

“The contract is giving them (TxDOT) 18-to-20 months to finish,” Lewis said. “So, it could take that long. Right now, winter is coming up, so what they will be doing now is a lot of dirt work is getting on.”

She said this could include leveling the ground and replacing culverts.

Lewis added those traveling Hwy. 114 can expect delays at points during the construction.

For the rest of the story, see the Saturday, Nov. 2 edition of The Graham Leader.