Drainage improvement project to close road for four weeks

City of Laredo Public Works crews will begin a drainage improvement project on Eden Street between Del Mar Boulevard and Andrew Lane. The roadway will be closed to all traffic for approximately four weeks, starting Tuesday, July 27, and concluding Sunday, Aug. 22, weather permitting.

Crews will be adding concrete box culverts in the area to help increase the water drainage capacity, to help reduce flooding in the area.

For more information on the project, call the City of Laredo Public Works Division at 795-2500.

TxDOT holds second round of public meetings on Statewide Transportation Plan

AUSTIN - The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will host a second series of open-house style public meetings to give citizens yet another opportunity to offer feedback on a long-range plan that provides the agency with a blueprint for the state's future transportation needs.

TxDOT held the first series of meetings in May.

The agency's 25 districts will each host a meeting the first two weeks of August. The Laredo District’s meeting is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 3 at the Texas Department of Transportation Laredo District Office Large Meeting Room (behind main building), 1817 Bob Bullock Loop.

Meeting dates and locations for the agency's Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035 are available on the TxDOT website.

The plan addresses future multi-modal transportation needs for Texas, including transit, rail, highways, bicycles and pedestrians. This statewide plan is also the basis for a number of other TxDOT planning efforts such as the Texas Rail Plan, the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan and corridor-related initiatives. In addition, the plan provides direction to make it easier for all of these different efforts to work in coordination. It also assures the state’s goals are consistent with federal priorities and guidelines.

TxDOT spent the last six months analyzing system changes that have taken place in the last 20 years and, based on this information, the agency has forecast anticipated changes for the next 25 years. Citizens will have an opportunity to comment on this analysis at the August meetings.

The meetings are designed to give Texans an informal venue for viewing an informational video and exhibits about the analysis findings, including the results of the transportation questionnaires completed by participants at the first round of meetings in May. Participants may ask questions and provide written comments on the plan which is scheduled to be completed and ready for adoption by the Texas Transportation Commission this fall.

A final public hearing is tentatively scheduled for October 2010 in Austin. Public comments will be accepted for 30 days after the hearing date.

Citizens who cannot attend the meeting may send written comments to Peggy Thurin, P.E., Project Manager, Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035, 4544 Post Oak Place, #224, Houston, Texas, 77027. Comments may also be made online or by calling the toll-free number (888) 5TX-PLAN ((888)-589-7526).

Persons with special communication or accommodation needs may contact Michael Graham at (956) 712-7742. Requests should be made no later than three days prior to the open-house style public meeting. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate the needs.

TxDOT executive director named president of WASHTO

Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Amadeo Saenz Jr. has an additional transportation job.

Saenz was elected president of the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHTO) during the organization's annual meeting earlier this week in Bismarck, North Dakota. He will term runs through July 2011. He previously served as vice president of the group.

"This is a pivotal time in transportation history, and I look forward to working with western state members on important federal transportation issues like SAFETEA-LU reauthorization," Saenz said.

Saenz was named the 19th executive director of TxDOT in 2007. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and a native of Hebronville.

The purpose of WASHTO is to serve its member departments by:

• contributing to national policies on transportation issues responsive to members' needs

• promoting a closer relationship between its members

• advising Congress on legislation supporting efficient and effective transportation systems

• economic competitiveness and the environmental integrity of member state

• providing a forum for exchanging ideas, exploring and adapting techniques, promoting quality and best practices for implementation; and

• working with the USDOT and other governmental agencies.

WASHTO membership includes departments of transportation from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and Washington. For more information, visit www.washto.org.

TxDOT announces street closures along U.S. 83

Streets along Guadalupe and Chihuahua from Monterrey and Cedar avenues will be closed for more than a week because of the construction of a railroad overpass on U.S. 83.

Monterrey Avenue, south of the Monterrey/Chihuahua intersection will be closed for approximately eight days. Access to southbound Monterrey from Chihuahua will be detoured to Sanders Avenue then to Rosario Street.

Sanders Avenue between Guadalupe and Chihuahua Streets will remain closed for the duration of the project. Detour is in effect.

The traveling public is asked to exercise extreme caution and observe all traffic safety signs, road markings and channelization devices in and around the work area. Use caution around heavy machinery and tractor-trailer traffic.

The U.S. 83 (Guadalupe-Chihuahua Streets) railroad grade separation project is being constructed by Anderson Columbia Co. at a cost of $10.8 million.