Construction begins on U.S. Highway 183 South
Initial construction has begun on a project to reconstruct U.S. Highway183 South (South Breckenridge Avenue) from U.S. Highway 180 (Walker Street) to near the southern city limits of Breckenridge. The project will address significant pavement failures that have occurred along the ¾-mile segment of roadway that serves as the primary southern access to the city of Breckenridge.
In a competitive bidding process, Prater Equipment Co., Inc. of Comanche has been chosen as the contractor for the project and awarded a contract in the amount of $3,737,969.44. Prater is also the contractor for the ongoing reconstruction of U.S. Highway 180 on the east side of Breckenridge, though the two projects are unrelated.
The project will retain the current layout of the roadway: Between U.S 180 to near Cottage Street, the roadway will feature two travel lanes in each direction, concrete curbs and gutters, and new five-foot-wide sidewalks and ADA curb ramps to accommodate pedestrians. A continuous center turn lane will run from just south of Williams Street to near Cottage Street. From near Cottage Street to the southern end of the project, the roadway will feature two travel lanes in each direction and paved shoulders of various widths. All construction will take place within existing TxDOT rights of way; no acquisition of additional property is required.
The project is anticipated to take approximately 11 months to complete. Motorists can expect lane reductions and detours throughout the period, and are urged to drive slowly to maintain the safety of construction workers. Drivers are also reminded that traffic fines are doubled in work zones when workers are present.
Both the U.S. 183 South project and the U.S. 180 East project should be completed by fall 2018, weather permitting.
The U.S. 180 East project is about 50 percent complete. It was started last summer and includes the reconstruction of a 2.3-mile segment of the highway from Gunsolus Creek east to State Highway 67.
The project includes the following improvements:
- Four 12-foot travel lanes (two lanes in each direction) and a 14-foot center continuous left turn lane for the length of the project, with shoulders varying in width from 3.5 feet to 5 feet.
- New curbs and gutters for a portion of the length of the project.
- Five-foot-wide sidewalks and ADA curb ramps to accommodate pedestrians, from Gunsolus Creek to 500 feet east of Melrose Ave. (County Road 239).
Cutline: According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the construction on U.S. 180 East is about half finished and should be completed by next fall. Work is just beginning on a new project on U.S. 183 South. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
