FORNEY, Texas — The Farm-to-Market (FM) 460 onramp to eastbound U.S. Highway 80 and the Pinson Road exit ramp have been closed as crews began placing barricades earlier today for the much-anticipated ramp relocation and frontage road project in Forney.
FORNEY, Texas — The Farm-to-Market (FM) 460 onramp to eastbound U.S. Highway 80 and the Pinson Road exit ramp have been closed as crews began placing barricades earlier today for the much-anticipated ramp relocation and frontage road project in Forney.
Construction on the ramp relocation project and the anticipated closure of the FM 460 onramp has been on again, off again with construction start dates announced several times by local and state representatives.
John Polster with Innovative Traffic Solutions, which is representing the county on the transportation road bond, told the Kaufman County Commissioners’ Court in January the latest delays were due to cost savings opportunities of which, a “significant” savings was realized.
Polster says the savings, which was realized over a combination of projects, would likely be spent on other on-system projects at the commissioners’ discretion.
Construction crews began laying construction barricades earlier today along the shoulder of eastbound U.S. Highway 80 in anticipation of the construction. The FM 460 onramp and Pinson Road exit ramp were also closed.
The south frontage road is also expected to close westbound travel beginning February 13, 2017, according to a TxDOT traffic notification sign and will likely remain closed for the duration of the project until the frontage road construction is complete with one-way, eastbound traffic only operations.
Construction is expected to be complete by this time next year, Polster told the commissioners’ court.
The project will relocate the entrance and exit ramps on eastbound U.S. Highway 80 between Farm-to-Market (FM) 460, also known as Clements Road, and FM 740, also known as Pinson Road. The project will also continue the frontage road to run parallel with the highway and to establish a one-way traffic pattern. See image gallery below for photos of proposed changes.
“Work will require various daytime lane closures scheduled during off-peak hours throughout the duration of the project,” the Texas Department of Transportation previously stated.
The replica Statue of Liberty at Liberty Hill was removed in early 2016 in preparation for the construction project as the statue and flags fell in the middle of the new frontage road design. The statue was placed in storage and city officials said they would work with TxDOT to propose a new entry-way monument for the statue.
