LUBBOCK, Texas — TxDOT announced last week that the start date for expanding Woodrow Road would be pushed back by a few weeks due to rain the last few weeks.
County Commissioner of Precinct 1, Terence Kovar said the project was set to start Monday, October 9.
“Just created lots of issues when the ground is soft, so you don’t want to get much equipment out there and bury it,” Kovar said.
The $38 million Lubbock County and TxDOT project will completely rebuild the existing roadway from a two-lane rural roadway to a five-lane thoroughfare.
Kovar said everything was ready to go before the rain rolled in, and even though they won’t be starting for a few more weeks, they’re not far off.
“We had to do archeological studies and then the right way process, plus all the engineering for both phases, so that takes time,” Kovar said. “We’ve bought everything, all utilities have been moved for phase one, we’re ready to break ground.”
Marty Griffin, owner of Griffin’s Contracting, has had his business on Woodrow Road for 11 years and has seen the area grow more each year. With more people moving to the Lubbock-Cooper area, Griffin said he is excited to see the road undergo a makeover.
“It’s become quite a problem, it’s outgrown the streets,” Griffin said.
Griffin said not only is he excited for a new street, but new drainage systems that will help with flooding in the area, something they have been wanting for years.
“We get an influx of water that comes in and it can flood back part of our property, the way they’re building the road, and the drainage should be a big help for that,” Griffin said.
Griffin said as a business owner, he is ready to see change, but he agrees, all good things come in time.
“We’re excited, we’re ready to see it finished, So we’ll just kind of let it play out and look forward to it being here as soon as it can,” Griffin said.
The project is funded by Lubbock County, but TxDOT is overseeing the contract and construction work that will rebuild 2.7 miles of Woodrow Road to include two lanes of traffic in each direction, a continuous left-turn lane, and will make drainage and traffic signal improvements.
TxDOT said Once construction begins, motorists traveling on Woodrow Road can expect slow-moving traffic and delays and are advised to give themselves extra time for school drop-offs and pick-ups.
