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DESDEMONA -- Only a relatively small
crowd attended the FM 2214 public meeting conducted by the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) last Thursday evening, July 12.
There were almost as many TxDOT officials and employees at the meeting
as there were area residents for the informational and public
involvement session.
A large aerial photo mosaic was placed on
the wall of the Desdemona Activity Center above tables that had plans
rolled out for public viewing. Four different TxDOT officials took
part in different portions of the presentation and answered questions
posed by the attendees. They emphasized that the plans shown and
discussed are only preliminary, and that no right of way acquisition
activity will occur until the plans are finalized, likely not until
sometime in 2008.
The 5.3 mile road widening project on FM
2214 will run from near the intersection with Highway 571 north of
Desdemona and continue south to the intersection with Highway 8, just
west of downtown, and then follow Highway 8 across Hog Creek and
through downtown to the intersection of Highway 8 and Highway 16. The
purpose of the project is to improve safety by widening, flattening
and straightening the roadway to accommodate growing traffic volumes
running between Eastland and Stephenville. Both increased truck and
college-related traffic have made the currently narrow roadway more
dangerous as an average of more than 1,000 vehicles drive on it daily.
In the mostly rural portion of the
project, the paved roadway will increase from 23 feet to 40 feet,
although it will remain only two lanes. The total right of way will be
increased from the current 100 feet to 200 feet. A total of 29.4 acres
are projected to be needed for the increased right of way, with the
total estimated cost of acquisition to be $936,000. Eastland County
will be called upon to fund 10% of the land acquisition costs. The
total number of landowners affected is estimated to run from 22-27.
One of the bigger changes that will be
involved in the project will be that at the Highway 2214/Highway 8
intersection, Highway 8 traffic northbound from Gorman will be
required to stop while southeast bound Highway 2214 traffic proceeds
into Desdemona, opposite the current traffic arrangement. The road
project will also involve widening the bridge over Hog Creek, but will
not involve a teardown and replacement.
No additional right of way will be needed
in the downtown Desdemona area. There will be some construction work
in the downtown area, however, to facilitate proper drainage and to
provide proper handicapped access to buildings and stores. Curbs and
gutters may be installed.
One meeting attendee expressed hope that
the project would not "mess up downtown" Desdemona similar to what has
occurred in Lingleville. A TxDOT area engineer replied that there will
be some construction disruptions.
Another meeting attendee noted that not
many affected landowners were present at the meeting, and TxDOT
officials noted that most of them had already been contacted and given
the opportunity to review the plans. No residential relocations are
projected to be necessary, either in the rural or in the town portion
of the project.
The estimated budget for the project is
$5 million, with bid letting planned for late 2012. |
