U.S. 180 West closed, traffic detoured in preparation for road repairs
Late Tuesday afternoon, the Texas Department of Transportation decided to fully close a section of U.S. Highway 180 just west of the Breckenridge city limits, between FM 2231 and FM 3099, where a portion of the road sunk several inches earlier this week. Traffic will be rerouted to the south for at least several days while the repair work is done, a TxDOT spokesperson said.
The issue with the road started Sunday, Feb. 3, when part of the pavement sunk and cracks developed in the asphalt. “The metal culvert has begun settling, so they’re going to replace it with a concrete culvert,” said Lisa Tipton, the Public Information Officer for the TxDOT Brownwood region. “They have to take the old culvert out and replace it, and that type of repair takes a while.”
Prater Equipment Co. Inc. will start repairs on Wednesday morning, Feb. 6, according to Tipton.
“We’re not sure on the timeline of the repairs, because, of course, they’ve located supplies, but there’s a matter of the logistics…getting here and how quickly they can get all that done,” she said. “They’re working as fast as possible to get it done and hoping to have it open – at least one lane in each direction – very soon. But, again, I don’t have a timeline, exactly. They do have everything in the works to get the repair started.”
Tipton said TxDOT doesn’t consider the indentation in the roadway to be a “sinkhole” but just a settling over the culvert.
Drivers coming toward Breckenridge from the west must detour to the south on FM 2231, traveling around to FM 3099 or U.S. Highway 183 South. Drivers leaving Breckenridge and traveling west out of town must detour to the south on FM 3099, connecting with FM 2231 to get back to U.S. 180 West. See the map below for an illustration of the closed roadway.
For more information on the road closure, visit the TxDOT Highway Conditions webpage or call 800-452-9292 for current road conditions.
The area of U.S. Highway 180 between FM 2231 and FM 3099 is completely closed to through traffic, as the Texas Department of Transportation prepares the road for repairs. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
This map from the Texas Department of Transportation website shows, in dark blue, the portion of U.S. Highway 180 that is currently shut down in preparation for repairs to the roadway, which sunk several inches in a spot over a culvert.
Story by Tony Pilkington and Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Cutline, top photo: On Tuesday afternoon, a Texas Department of Transportation employee directs traffic down FM 2231 in a detour around the portion of U.S. Highway 180 where an area of the road has sunk several inches over a culvert. TxDOT expects the detour to be in place for several days. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
