I-30 Construction 'Bumps' Mean Repairs Will Take Longer
TARRANT COUNTY (CBS 11 NEWS) - Construction is slowing down drivers on one of the busiest roads in North Texas. Tuesday evening crews shutdown two lanes of Interstate-30, on both sides, until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
The closures are in east Fort Worth and Arlington.
For months drivers have bumped and rattled over a construction project that's taking longer than planned.
Ann Pulliza tries to avoid driving on I-30 when she runs errands in northwest Fort Worth.
A resurfacing project started in June has left the highway a bumpy patchwork of concrete and asphalt, between East Loop 820 and Cooper Street.
"It's terrible," the 73-year-old Pulliza said. "I drive a little PT Cruiser and it really shakes me up. If I can, I'll take some way around it. But, I can't always do that."
Resurfacing on the eastbound side of I-30 was supposed to be finished by the end of August. But construction plans hit a few bumps.
The highways we drive on are built in layers: asphalt on top and concrete underneath. Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) said workers ran into a big problem. When they pulled up the I-30 asphalt workers discovered the concrete was in a lot worse shape than they thought.
"Basically the concrete just needs to be replaced," explained TxDOT spokesman Val Lopez. "I-30 has been there for a very long time, since the 1950's and maintenance is a very important part of its life at this point. So, there are places we need to cut the concrete out and put the new concrete in."
TxDOT said if they didn't perform the time-consuming concrete repairs the ride would be rougher now and crews would be forced to necessary concrete replacements sooner. Think of it as a 'well, since you're already there…' situation.
Plans are to repave the east and westbound lanes at the same time.
"That could begin as soon as the beginning of next month, provided we have the weather," Lopez said.
When Pulliza heard the news she said, "I'm going to be crying. It's tearing my car up."
TxDOT says it's going to "take as much time as needed" to fix the road properly so that the interstate and the repairs last for the long haul.
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