Burgess Brings Top Transportation Officials to See I-35E Lake Lewisville Bridge
National and State Officials View Notorious Bottleneck, Discuss Reconstruction Project's Status
Lewisville, TX,
Aug 19, 2008 -
Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Lewisville), brought together top national and state transportation officials today to highlight the urgent need to improve and expand the existing Lake Lewisville bridge on Interstate 35. Bridge traffic is frequently backed up for miles, making the crossing one of the worst congestion hot spots in North Texas. The reconstruction project is still moving through the lengthy planning process.
“The current Lake Lewisville Bridge is supposed to be a major connection – too often it’s a source of major irritation. This can and must change, and it needs to do so sooner rather than later,” said Rep. Burgess.
Denton County is one of the fastest growing counties in Texas. Today, the county has nearly 600,000 residents and is projected to have more than one million by the year 2030. The rapid growth has quickly surpassed the capacity of I-35E to handle the traffic demand. During morning and evening rush hours the congestion is heavy. The highway also experiences high traffic counts through out the day. The reconstruction of the Lake Lewisville Bridge will offer drivers eight main lanes, four concurrent managed lanes (two lanes in each direction), and two to three frontage roads on each side.
These improvements may be helped along by changes to transportation policy as part if the upcoming Highway bill, which Congress will begin crafting in a few months.
“If adding lanes on the bridge and building a frontage road is as good a project as local sponsors say, it will be easier to fund under our proposal than under the current, broken federal system. Under our new approach, Dallas-Fort Worth will have more flexibility to put their transportation dollars toward projects that benefit commuters and communities. Congressman Burgess and I agree that projects that improve commutes, give taxpayers a good deal and cut congestion should get funding,” the Deputy Secretary said.
State officials welcome the focus on fighting traffic. TXDOT Deputy Executive Director Steve Simmons commented, “We are pleased to have Congressman Burgess and Deputy Secretary Barrett here today to highlight a key congestion relief project we are working on in the DFW area. As they have shown by their recent actions, both Congressman Burgess and the Secretary are keenly aware of the need for giving states and regions flexibility in making key transportation decisions that directly impact the citizens they serve.”
In addition to discussing the bridge reconstruction project, the officials also discussed changing transportation policy to move projects forward faster and more affordably. On average, it takes 13 years to design and complete a road. Costs often grow significantly during that time.
“This interstate corridor has been and will continue to be a main artery for this region's growth and quality of life. Keeping it healthy and moving must be a priority, and if that means fast tracking or innovative financing, that's exactly what we need to do,” commented Burgess.
A recent collision on I-35E during the morning commute effectively shutdown the interstate for over four hours. This scenario is not uncommon and highlights the need for immediate improvements to the I-35E corridor.
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