KAUFMAN, Texas — State and local officials, on Friday, October 17, 2014, broke ground on the much-anticipated State Highway (SH) 34 bypass in Kaufman, Texas.
KAUFMAN, Texas — State and local officials, on Friday, October 17, 2014, broke ground on the much-anticipated State Highway (SH) 34 bypass in Kaufman, Texas.
The bypass will allow SH 34 travelers, and more importantly, 18-wheelers to bypass the downtown Kaufman corridor and will also open additional land to economic development on the south and east of Kaufman.
If traveling south on SH 34 from Terrell, Texas, the proposed route will continue south —instead of requiring drivers to turn into downtown Kaufman— will cross U.S. Highway 175 to the east of town, and will turn back west towards SH 34 south of Kaufman High School, crossing Farm-to-Market (FM) 1388.
Project funding was provided by the City of Kaufman, the Kaufman Economic Development Corporation, Kaufman County through recently approved transportation bonds, and the Texas Department of Transportation’s Pass-Through Toll Program which will partially reimburse the City of Kaufman over the next 10 to 20 years based on the roads usage.
“This Highway 34 bypass has been a dream for many years and its finally going to come to pass,” Kaufman Mayor William Fortner stated at the groundbreaking. “Our heavy traffic trucks will not have to go passed the courthouse or down through the middle of town.”
Kaufman Economic Development Corporation President Roy Ferrell said, “The Highway 34 extension will give us access to 800 to 1,000 acres of land for new development including much-needed housing, restaurants, retail, medical facilities, and much more.”
“This project will reroute 700 to 800 big rigs from Mulberry Street and Washington Street making them safer for our children and lessening the congestion,” said Ferrell. “It will also help with our efforts to revitalize the downtown square.”
“This bypass is a critical leg of the ultimate bypass which will ultimately provide for safety, mobility, and connectivity,” said Texas Department of Transportation representative Hal Stanford.
The City of Terrell recently completed their SH 34 bypass in Terrell, Texas. Ultimately, SH 34 will also bypass Oak Ridge, in between Terrell and Kaufman, and provide a straight path north and south through Kaufman County.
Engineering consulting firm Raba Kistner will oversee the project which is expected to take approximately two years.
