Road improvements planned in Bowie, Cass counties

Starting this summer, safety improvements will be made along eight highways in Bowie and Cass counties, and U.S. Highway 67 in Texarkana will get a new surface and lane configuration.

The two-mile section of U.S. 67 from Farm to Market Road 989 (Kings Highway) to FM 2148 will be converted from four lanes to three, according to a press release from Texas Department of Transportation.

“The current traffic control has four 11-foot traffic lanes with no turn lane or shoulders,” said Paul Wong, area engineer for TxDOT in Texarkana. “The new traffic control pattern will have one 12-foot traffic lane in each direction divided by a 14-foot flush median or turn lane and 3-foot paved shoulders on each side.”

Officials hope the new layout will reduce the number of accidents in the area by giving drivers a place to wait for traffic to clear before turning left, he said.

“We are planning to add additional lanes to this section at a future date, when funding becomes available, but we feel this should increase traffic safety in the meantime.”

East Texas Bridge of Longview was awarded the contract for resurfacing with a bid of $1.1 million. Work is expected to begin in June and take about three months.

The safety projects, which cover 61 miles of eight highways in Bowie and Cass counties, will take about four years to complete. TxDOT crews will install extra safety features on culverts and drainage structures, Wong said.

CDM Holdings of New Boston was awarded the contract for the safety projects with a bid of $1.5 million. Work should begin in June.

Stretches of highway scheduled for safety improvements are:

BOWIE: 6.8 miles of Farm to Market Road 991 from U.S. 67 West to U.S. 67 East

■ 1.9 miles of FM 991 from U.S. 67 in Redwater southward

■ 7.6 miles of FM 44 from the Red River County line to U.S. Highway 259

■ 14.1 miles of FM 990 from FM 1840 to U.S. 67

■ 8.9 miles of state Highway 98 from U.S. Highway 82 to U.S. 67

■ 3.7 miles of FM 3096 from U.S. 67 northward

CASS: 6.9 miles of state Highway 49 from state Highway 11 to state Highway 155

■ 7.8 miles of FM 161 from the Morris County line to FM 130

■ 3.3 miles of FM 2791 from state Highway 77 to FM 96