TYLER, Texas — Changes are coming to some of Tyler's most congested roadways.
"If you’re heading on Grande (Blvd.), you’ll be heading under that overpass that will be put in," Texas Department of Transportation Tyler District spokesperson Jeff Williford said.
Williford said that there are plans to build an overpass at the intersection of West Grande Blvd. and Old Jacksonville Highway. It’s one of multiple street expansion projects in the works. These projects are in response to the constant growth that Tyler has experienced as a city, especially on the southside.
"Growth historically has been going to south Tyler. South Broadway has seen a lot of traffic congestion that has been in that area, and some of the projects that are coming up are the widening of Old Jacksonville, and also the widening of FM 756 and Paluxy," Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Director Michael Howell said.
Roadway expansions are planned at FM 756, FM 2964 and 346, and along South Broadway. Those projects, as well as the overpass at Old Jacksonville, are still a ways away.
Williford said that funding has been secured for the overpass and plans have been drawn up, next they’ll allow contractors to bid on the construction and maintenance contracts, which is known as the “letting process."
"But right now it looks like the let date, which is when the project goes out for bid, that’s a state process that we do with every project, it’s scheduled to let in 2028," Williford said.
Until then, the MPO is asking for community feedback to help them determine what residents value most in their neighborhoods.
"There are a dozen different types of factors that we’re looking at, and the survey is asking the community to rank those factors, and tell us what does the community see as far as being the most important one," Howell said.
The MPO is hosting an open house for the community on Tuesday, April 23, from 5 to 6 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Tyler Development Center's large conference room.
During the open house, community members will learn about the following:
- Widening FM 756 from Jeff Davis Drive to FM 346
- Constructing an overpass at the intersection of FM 756 and FM 346
- Widening FM 2493 (Old Jacksonville Highway) from Loop 323 to FM 2813