SOUTHLAKE – Deceleration lanes that usually take a few weeks to build are taking months, resulting in more traffic headaches on Southlake Boulevard.
The biggest delay has been moving the utilities on Southlake Boulevard at Miron Drive near Southlake Town Square and Waterford Drive near Carroll Senior High School, said Val Lopez, spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation. The right lane on eastbound Southlake Boulevard at both locations has been closed for months, forcing traffic to funnel into two lanes. Both right-turn lanes are expected to be completed within 45 days, Lopez said. “If the weather holds out it’ll go quicker of course,” Lopez said. At Miron Drive, workers found a gas line that they didn’t know existed, Lopez said. Atmos had to mobilize and move the line during the peak of the Christmas shopping season. The gas line is moved but other cable and fiber optic lines need to be relocated. The space is only big enough for one utility job at a time, increasing delays, Lopez said. Retailers have been dealing with lane closures since tax-free weekend in August when the Southlake Boulevard median project started in that area. The bottlenecks continued through the Christmas shopping season as the medians were landscaped. The right lane at Miron Drive remains closed. For businesses, the lane closures create challenges for customers and employees trying to get to work or go out for lunch, said Christy Howard, owner of Three Dog Bakery. Howard said she heard plenty of complaints and adjusted her employee schedule to avoid peak traffic times. Students at Carroll Senior High School have been dealing with traffic backups because work on the deceleration lane at Waterford Drive has stalled. Lopez said Atmos crews had to wait until students were gone for winter break before shutting off the gas and moving a gas line, Lopez said.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
