I-69 Texas: two U.S. 77 contracts (Willacy County)

[arga...@my-deja.com]

I have recently learned that Tx.D.O.T. has two contracts in process to
upgrade U.S. 77 to a freeway through Willacy County, about thirty
miles north of the Mexican border. As U.S. 77 in this area is one of
the I-69 corridors (and, according to Rich Piehl's last road-trip
report from this area, the one with "Future I-69" signs), I thought I
would provide some details.

* Work connected with project DMO 2001 (502) was let in October 2001
and is now in progress. This work consists of building
grade-separated interchanges on current expressway U.S. 77 to create a
full freeway-standard bypass of Lyford on the east (C.S.J.
0327-10-049) and Raymondville on the southeast (C.S.J. 0327-10-042).
These two sections of road are disjoint but have been let at the same
time, under a common plan set, and the plans and letting information
are indexed under the latter contract number (C.C.S.J. 0327-10-042).
As part of this work, interchanges are to be constructed at Tex. F.M.
3168 and Tex. F.M. 490 to complete the Raymondville southeast bypass,
and Tex. S.P. 112 and Tex. F.M. 498 to complete the Lyford eastern
bypass.

The plan set is not online; the oldest sets currently available for
download date from December 2001. I have no idea whether the plans
for C.C.S.J. 0327-10-042 were ever posted online and then subsequently
removed. (If so, did someone download it? I'd be interested in
seeing the signing plans.) The engineer's estimate was $31,647,183
but the accepted bid was more than 10% lower, at $27,679,929. The
totals were broken down further, for the individual C.S.J.s:
0327-10-042, $17,652,461 estimated versus $15,733,200 actual;
0327-10-049, $13,994,722 estimated versus $11,946,729 actual. Summary
information is available at

http://www.txdot.state.tx.us/insdtdot/orgchart/cmd/cserve/let/2002/willacy.htm#032710042

A full bypass around Raymondville will not be completed without
further work, it seems. I believe grade separations are required for
Tex. F.M. 1762 and possibly one other road, although the big one (Tex.
186) has been complete since at least 1995.

* Further work connected with project NH 2002 (18) is scheduled to be
let in April 2002 and the plan set is already online. As with the
previous project, work on two disjoint sections is being let at the
same time with a common plan set, indexed under one of the C.S.J.
numbers (0327-10-027). The work involves grade-separated interchanges
at Tex. Spur 413/Tex. F.M. 2629 and Tex. F.M. 1018 to complete an
eastern bypass of Sebastian (C.S.J. 0327-10-050), and one other
interchange north of Raymondville (C.S.J. 0327-10-027) for the U.S.
77/BUS U.S. 77 split. The engineer's estimate for C.C.S.J.
0327-10-027 is $20,168,117.