District to repave highways

The Beaumont District is gearing up to make approximately $10 million worth of highway repairs and improvements to various roadways.

The Texas Transportation Commission recently approved the projects to make repairs to more than 500 miles of highway. The work includes repairs to portions of highways leading to railroad crossings, sealcoeat, and "crack-seal". Crack seal simply involves filling cracks in the road surface with tar. This helps preserve the roadway by keeping moisture from penetrating into the base, or foundation.

It may seem like a small project to announce. However, maintenance is the proverbial "backbone" of the department's work. Maintaining what we have extends the life of our transportation system.

It also makes good use of your tax dollar.

Happy driving.
Marc S.

Don't be a Turkey

Travel experts predict approximately 40 million of us will hit the highways this Thanksgiving Holiday. That's a lot of people...and turkeys...on the nation's highways.

Here's a few tips to help you avoid those turkeys behind the wheel and keep your holiday a great and thankful one.

• Don’t drink and drive. Enough said on that one.
• Buckle up. It's one of the best ways to protect yourself in a motor vehicle crash.
• Use approved child restraints and seats. 
• Slow down and obey speed limits.
• Get enough sleep. Hitting the road with too little sleep can cause lapses in attention, slowed awareness and impaired judgment.
• Be extra careful around large trucks. It takes big rigs a lot longer to stop than your average car. Make sure you can see their mirrors. If you can't see the truck's mirrors then they can't see you.
• Don’t tailgate. Allow for extra travel space.
• Expect the unexpected. Scan the road for possible hazards such as other vehicles and road debris.
• Take extra care on rural roads with 55 mile per hour speed limits.
• Avoid distractions such as cell phones, changing CDs, channel surfing or eating or drinking.
• Take frequent breaks to keep alert during long distance trips.
• Be extra alert around construction zones.

Above all, have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the holiday!

Marc S.

Repairing the Neches River Bridge

On the heels of yet another closure today on the Neches River Bridge.....

Just mentioning the I-10 Neches River Bridge (Purple Heart Memorial Bridge) in Beaumont can bring tears to ones eyes and a cold sweat. Especially to those of you who have been stuck in rush-hour traffic due to daytime repairs to the bridge deck.

Now comes some good news.

This December, TxDOT will make repairs to sections of the bridge that are prone to getting potholes. These potholes aren't the regular run-of-the-mill potholes found on your typical street. A pothole on a bridge deck, or the riding surface, can get wider very quickly. Nobody is in any danger of falling through to the Neches River. Instead, it means that if the hole isn't quickly repaired, it can spread to the other lanes of traffic.

Beginning early next month, SCR Construction will make repairs to various parts of the bridge decking. They'll first work under the bridge before moving up to the main lanes.

We know what you are thinking: 'Great. More lane closures!'. Well, yes and no. Yes, there will be lane closures. However, work is scheduled to take place at night. So, unless you plan on traveling across the bridge from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., you probably won't see anything take place. Also, no work will take place on Friday and Saturday nights.

Of course, the even greater news is we plan on completely replacing the bridge in mid-2012. But that's another story. In the meantime, we have to maintain one of the area's most important highways.

Enjoy your weekend.

Marc S.

Old photos

Here is an old photo to mull over.


If you get the location of this one, then you have a really good memory and know Southeast Texas better than most folks know their own home.

To help you out, here is a couple of hints.

• It's from the northern part of our district.
• The work is not necessarily part of the highway system.

Good luck and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Marc S.

Magic highways and flying cars

Years ago, futurists predicted high-tech roads and highways. The thought of climbing into your hovercraft and traveling to work made a scene from "The Jetsons" something achieveable.

Transportation definitely has changed in the past several decades. However, were the predictions of planners and transportation gurus right on target? Or, were they way off base?

We found this really neat video, made back in the early days of transportation, showing how they thought transportation would evolve.

Were they right?  Check out the video and tell us what you think.

Marc S

Your Tax Dollars at Work....

Ever wanted to know where your tax dollars are going to work?  If so, here is something you might find real interesting.

By now, you have probably heard of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), affectionately known as "Stimulus Funding". However, you may not be familiar as to where that stimulus money dedicated to transportation improvements is being spent.

The Federal Highway Administration has a really neat interactive map showing all of the ARRA project locations throughout the country. Scroll over the location and it will give you a summary as to the cost and what is taking place.

Here's the link:  http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/

Simply click on the map on the right of the page to find out what is happening with ARRA funding in any part of the country.  Note:  In order to view the map, your computer may ask you to download a program from Microsoft. You'll need it to be able to navigate all of the contents.

Thanks to Dana Wixson, one of our followers from Austin, for giving us the heads up on this neat tool.

Safe Driving,
Marc S.

TxDOT begins widening of US 69

Traveling through the City of Lumberton is about to become a bit less congested. Next week, TxDOT will begin a project to improve a four-mile stretch of US 69 to a five-lane highway.

“We believe this is the first step in helping to relieve some of the congestion on US 69,” said Randy Redmond, Beaumont District Engineer. “Money for highway projects is tight. However, we can put some of our resources toward finding a temporary solution in helping motorists out of some heavy traffic jams.”

The project involves converting a section of the highway between FM 421 and Walton Road to a five-lane highway. Due to limited right-of-way and the lack of funding, TxDOT will use the existing pavement and convert the shoulders to travel lanes. Designers and engineers also say travel lanes will be 11-foot wide instead of the standard 12-foot travel lanes.

Workers will first install guard rail and other safety improvements at various locations along US 69. Afterwards they will resurface the roadway before restriping it to five lanes. TxDOT says lane closures are restricted to 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. However, all resurfacing work will take place at night. School traffic should not be affected during the construction.

TxDOT wants to eventually convert the highway to a standard 5-lane highway complete with standard width lanes and curb and gutter. However, the $5 million price tag has put that project on hold for at least five years. The department says that in the meantime, the restriping project should help relieve congestion.

APAC-TX is the contractor for the $1.5 million project. Work is expected to be complete by spring.

Drive Safe,
Marc S

Look Ma... no driver!

I know it won't be anytime soon until you see this at your neighborhood auto dealer. Then again, who would have thought we would see hybrids and electric cars become mainstream so quickly.

The above video shows what happens when you put together really smart people and a challenge. However, I bet these guys never drove I-10 through Orange County during rush hour!

Safe Driving,
Marc S.