The West Berry Street-South University Drive intersection, which closed for reconstruction June 10, will re-open to traffic Monday, three weeks ahead of schedule.
Fernando Costa, a Fort Worth assistant city manager, told City Council members during a meeting Tuesday afternoon that the construction contractor McClendon Construction Co. “exceeded expectations.”Work will continue for another eight months on West Berry between University and Waits Avenue.The $1.98 million intersection and street project, funded largely by a grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, is the second phase of improvements to West Berry near Texas Christian University.The intersection project includes reconstruction of the road with concrete, upgraded traffic signals and handicapped-accessible ramps at the crosswalks.The Berry Street part of the project, from just west of University to Waits, will convert the six lanes and continuous turn lanes to four lanes and medians. Motorists currently use the two outside lanes for parking, and those will be turned into protected parallel parking using concrete "bulb-outs.” . The new medians will eliminate only one turn on westbound Berry from northbound Cockrell Avenue, between the 7-Eleven and Fuzzy's Taco Shop.The project will also include wider sidewalks, landscaping and benches, particularly around the T bus stops.The first phase of the West Berry improvements extended from Waits Avenue to Forest Park Boulevard.The third proposed phase, still unfunded, would be from Forest Park and Cleburne Road, site of the planned TCU-Berry TEX Rail commuter rail station, better linking the rail station to TCU.Scott Nishimura, (817) 390-7808
