Emergency reconstruction closes street

Starting Tuesday, Aug. 31, City of Laredo Public Works crews closed the 2800 block of Seymore between Kearney and Lion until Friday, Sept. 3, due to an emergency repair and reconstruction of the valley gutter in the area. Additionally, El Metro will not have access to the stop at Seymore and Lion.

Traveling inbound, El Metro will use a temporary stop on Loring Street, a block further from Seymour.

For more information, contact the City of Laredo Public Works Division at 795-2500 or El Metro Customer Service at 795-2280.

Overpass construction causes detours

As construction of railroad overpass on US 83 continues, several cross streets between Monterrey and Cedar avenues.

Maryland Avenue, between Chihuahua and Guadalupe, will be closed beginning Monday, Aug. 30, for about three weeks and re-open on Friday, Sept. 17, at 5:30 p.m.

Monterrey Avenue, south of Chihuahua, will remain closed until Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 5:30 p.m. Detour in effect.

Sanders Avenue between Guadalupe and Chihuahua Streets (US 83) will remain closed for the duration of the project. Detour in effect.

Construction to interrupt San Bernardo traffic

SLC Construction, a private contractor hired by the City of Laredo, will temporarily cause traffic inconvenience at the intersection of Jefferson Street and San Bernardo Avenue in order to replace a 20" water line. Water services will not be interrupted.

Construction is scheduled from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m., starting Aug. 24.

The replacement of the water line is anticipated to take approximately fourteen hours for completion. Progress updates will be made available by the Utilities Department.

Motorists and pedestrians traveling through the area are urged to adhere to all posted traffic control signs and devices to provide safety to everyone.

Monterrey Street to close in construction project

Monterrey Street, south of the Monterrey/Chihuahua intersection will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 7 a.m. and will reopen on Friday, Aug. 20, at 5:30 p.m. A detour will be in effect. Construction is ongoing for the railroad overpass on U.S. 83.

Sanders Avenue between Guadalupe and Chihuahua streets U.S. 83 will remain closed for the duration of the project.

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.

Construction work to temporarily close street

Rhino Builders will be working on improvements to Eistetter Park and will close West Eistetter Street between McDonnell and Valencia Avenue on Thursday, Aug. 19, starting at 9 a.m. The closure should last until approximately 2 p.m. Motorists should drive with caution in the area and if possible, find an alternate route.

Lane closures on U.S. 59

A lane on U.S. 59 will be closed as Bick's Construction paves the main lanes along the road from mile marker 790 to 798. Mile marker 790 is eight miles east of FM2895.

The construction is scheduled from Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The paving of the main lanes will be done as a moving operation, the working area is two miles, and the traveling public should be prepared to merge to an open lane. The traveling public is advised to drive with extreme caution, slow down, observe/adhere to the traffic control devices, and watch out for the road maintenance crew working at this location.

This labor is part of RMC: 6209-02-001, which was awarded to Bick's Construction. This project consists of planing,overlay, and pavement markings. The work location is Webb County's U.S. 59.

Carlos G. Rodriguez, P.E., Laredo area engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation Laredo District is responsible for this project.

Construction to disrupt service

A water line tie-in Thursday is scheduled to cause service interruption in the downtown area from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.

The affected areas are Hidalgo Street from Salinas Avenue to San Agustin Avenue as well as Flores Avenue from Hidalgo Street to Lincoln Street.

MDA, a private contractor hired by the City of Laredo, will tie-in a new 8-inch water line to an existing 8-inch water line, causing temporary interruption of water services.

The tie-in is anticipated to take approximately nine hours for completion.

Motorists and pedestrians traveling through the area are cautioned to heed all posted traffic control signs and devices to provide safety to all citizens.

Nighttime lane closures scheduled for U.S. 59

There will be alternating nighttime lane closures on U.S. 59 between Aug.2 to Aug. 20 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Construction crews will perform mill and overlay road rehab work on U.S. 59 east- and westbound lanes to include left turn lanes.

The traveling public should expect alternating lane closures and prepare to merge to open lanes.

Drive with extreme caution and observe all traffic safety signs, road markings and channelization devices in and around the work area.

Work will be performed by Anderson Columbia Inc. work crews as part of a $1.6 million road rehabilitation project that began July 2, 2010, to portions of U.S. 83 south (completed), Loop 20 (almost completed) and Spur 400 (forthcoming).

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 states 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 August 3, 2010, at the Texas Department of Transportation Laredo District Office Large Meeting Room (behind main building) at 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 states 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) TX-PLAN (1-888-589-7526).

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.