Morning sun glistened off shovels pressed into a mound of tilled dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony for County Road 3344 on Jan. 4.

Morning sun glistened off shovels pressed into a mound of tilled dirt Thursday at the groundbreaking ceremony for County Road 3344.

Smith County Judge Neal Franklin said this county road is the first new one built in Smith County since the 1950s. The county previously missed several corporate investor opportunities because there weren’t development-ready properties with utilities and proper road access.

“Well, that is no longer true,” Franklin said.

The Smith County Commissioners Court approved road construction using approximately $4.8 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The road will serve the Tyler Economic Development Council’s new 412-acre Tyler Interstate Commerce Park, which is already attracting large businesses to the county.

The partnership between Smith County and the Tyler Economic Development Council made the new road possible. CR 3344 will serve as a connector from State Highway 155 North at Interstate 20 to CR 336.

“It’s not only a connector road; this road represents much more. It’s the foundation of an economic development plan,” Franklin said. “A plan that creates new businesses and new high-paying jobs. A plan representing potential new career pathways for our current and new county residents.”

New business brings the area new jobs, employees, and economic impact.

“This is a catalyst to impact people’s lives,” Tyler Economic Development Council CEO Scott Martinez said. “We’re receiving considerable interest from other global companies that are considering this property.”

Historically, the property has generated minimal tax because it had agricultural exemptions. According to Martinez, the land was last used significantly in the 1940s, when it served as Camp Fannin to train soldiers for World War II.

It’s taken 70 years for something else to happen here.

“Today, we see a simple clearing for County Road 3344 … but we can envision the development and growth that this road will inspire. This is a monumental occasion,” Franklin said.