Travelers on Interstate 10 in Orange have at least three more years of construction improvements from Adams Bayou to the state border at the Sabine River.
James Bass, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation, told area officials and leaders the widening project of that section is due for completion in 2024.
The project includes widening the segment from four lanes to six lanes. The frontage road bridges at Adams Bayou will be removed, but the turnarounds will remain. Bass said interstate entrances and exits will be near the bayou on both directions of travel.
A new river relief bridge near the Simmons Drive exit will is planned.
Also set for completion by 2024 is the Interstate 10 widening project between Beaumont and Winnie.
Bass spoke during Golden Triangle Days held virtually last week. Usually, area chambers of commerce, industry leaders, and elected officials travel to Austin to lobby the state legislature and government heads. This year the day was held virtually because of the pandemic.
Bass said TxDOT has not let Covid 19 slow any of the projects across the state. The department has a 10-year statewide plan that will need an estimated $74.6 billion to complete.
According to Bass, Texans travel 575 million miles every day, which is the equivalence of 3,000 round trips to the moon.
TxDOT has 12,000 employees with 25 districts. Orange County is in the Beaumont District, which has about 300 employees. Our district maintains 5,800 lane miles of the state highway system.
Statewide, the department maintains 89,000 center lane miles of roadway and some 54,000 bridges, more than any other state.
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
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