LOS INDIOS — The $3.9 million rehabilitation and widening of U.S. 281 from FM 509 west for more than a mile and a half is rapidly nearing completion.
The project is the latest section of work on one of the Valley’s oldest east-west corridors, and widens the narrow two-lane road also known as Military Highway to four lanes.
“In addition, they’re also constructing driveways, they’re pouring the concrete driveways as well as the asphalt driveways throughout the project length,” TxDOT engineer Candido Bocanegro told members of the Harlingen-San Benito Metropolitan Planning Organization this past week.
At the job site just west of Los Indios, three of the four asphalt lanes are already in place, and TxDOT lists the project as being 72 percent complete.
But crew members with Foremost Paving Inc. of Elsa said yesterday they are rapidly accelerating their work on the 1.65-mile project, which began in January.
Workers paved the fourth and final lane of the roadway on Thursday. Then, they said, they planned to repave and finish the intersection of U.S. 281 and FM 509, a key crossing to the Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios.
By this week, they said they would be striping the roadway and it should be fully open to traffic soon after that part of the job is completed.
Most of the private driveways have been laid with asphalt. Some are constructed of concrete.
Some 6,283 square yards of asphalt has been laid for 34 driveways affected by the project, said TxDOT spokesman Octavio Saenz. The number of concrete driveways was less, about 14, with approximately 1,200 square yards of material used.
The newly refurbished and widened highway extends from FM 509 west to .05 miles west of FM 1479.
The border highway connects Brownsville to I-69C in McAllen.
FM 106 roadway reconstruction
Location: From FM 1847 to FM 510
Cost: $15.6 million
Project Length: 11.4 miles
Contractor: Texas SAI Inc.
Work started: November 2015
Completion date: December 2017
Work finished: 80 percent
The project consists of a major overhaul of the roadway and includes several wildlife underpasses and adjacent fencing.
BSIF at Los Indios
Location: Los Indios Free Trade International Bridge
Cost: $6.9 million
Project Length: .001 miles
Contractor: Foremost Paving Inc.
Work started: February 2015
Completion date: March 2018
Work finished: 78 percent
The new border safety inspection facility will inspect trucks from Mexico entering the United States. Work on the facility has been suspended since September while TxDOT awaits a land donation from Cameron County.
U.S. 281 roadway rehabilitation and widening
Location: From FM 509 to .05 miles west of FM 1479
Cost: $3.9 million
Project Length: 1.65 miles
Contractor: Foremost Paving Inc.
Work started: February 2017
Work finished: 72 percent
Bridge rehabilitation Rio Hondo lift bridge
Location: Rio Hondo
Cost: $12.4 million
Project length: 0.117 miles
Contractor: PCL Civil Contractors Inc.
Work started: Summer 2016
Completion date: February 2018
Work finished: 97 percent
The project consists of a complete overhaul of the mechanical lift bridge over the Arroyo Colorado. Traffic should begin crossing in late June.
State Highway 107
Location: Combes
Cost: $3.7 million
Project length: 0.465 miles
Contractor: Foremost Paving Inc.
Work started: August 2017
Completion date: October 2018
Work finished: 30 percent
