TERRELL, Texas – With the approval of an $8.5 million inter-local agreement between the City of Terrell and Kaufman County by the Kaufman County Commissioners' Court on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, the county is moving forward to provide funding for the first of many voter-approved transportation bond projects.
TERRELL, Texas – With the approval of an $8.5 million inter-local agreement between the City of Terrell and Kaufman County by the Kaufman County Commissioners' Court on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, the county is moving forward to provide funding for the first of many voter-approved transportation bond projects.
Kaufman County voters approved a $56 million county-wide transportation bond package in November 2013 which includes 26 transportation projects throughout the county.
The inter-local agreement will provide funding for two City of Terrell projects which are both currently under construction: the Spur 557 project and the FM 148 North project. Both projects were also approved by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as Pass-Through projects which will receive paybacks from the state after construction is complete and traffic counts are reported to TxDOT.
The Spur 557 project, nicknamed the County Road (CR) 305 project, consists of entrance and exit ramps at CR 305 – now known as Las Lomas Parkway. The project also includes the connection from CR 305 to Apache Trail and a two-lane frontage road from Las Lomas Parkway along the south side of Spur 557 to FM 148.
The total project is estimated at $6.5 million and the city has already funded approximately $4.5 million, according to Terrell Assistant City Manager Mike Sims. The county is going to pay the city's remaining unfunded margin of approximately $2 million. Approximately $5.1 million is expected in payback from TxDOT through the Pass-Through toll program.
The FM 148 North project will widen FM 148 from two-lanes undivided to four-lanes undivided from the north side of Bachelor Creek to the south side of Spur 557. The project includes a new FM 148 four-lane bridge, with a center turn lane, over Spur 557.
The total FM 148 North project is estimated at $6.7 million and the county will provide funding for the entire project. Approximately $2.1 million is expected in payback from TXDOT through the Pass-Through toll program.
The City of Terrell is also currently working on the FM 148 South project which is the widening project of FM 148 from CR 305 to the south side of Spur 557. Development in this area is making way for a new 60,000 square foot, super-sized travel center Buc-ee's who is currently completing grading and dirt work at their site on the east side of FM 148 between Spur 557 and I-20.
Buc-ee's will be built on 20 acres of a 36-acre planned development known as the Terrell Market Center. Adjacent to the Terrell Market Center is a 56-acre tract of land owned by Baylor Health Care Systems. On the west side of FM 148 is a proposed 225,000 square foot development known as The Crossroads at Terrell.
