Tyler Area MPO Director Michael Howell present information at a previous open house meeting.

The Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization held an open house Thursday to discuss changes in construction dates for the widening of both Paluxy Drive and Rhones Quarter Road.

Each of these projects are Texas Department of Transportation Highway projects.

These amendments will be made to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which is a short-range budgeting document that provides details on how federal transportation funding will be spent on planning, design and construction of highway and transit improvements over the next four fiscal years, according to the City of Tyler.

In total, three projects in southeast Tyler were discussed including the widening of FM 756 (Paluxy Drive), the construction of an overpass at FM 346 and the widening of FM 2964 (Rhones Quarter Drive).

If not amended, the proposed plan is to widen both Paluxy Drive and Rhones Quarter Drive one year after another, said MPO Director Michael Howell. When looking at the project cost and development for each of these, there is not enough funding to do them at around the same time, especially with rising inflation.

Along with this, these roads both feed into major schools in the area, so having construction happening simultaneously would be “a very bad idea,” Howell said. Schools in the area include Cumberland Academy High School, a soon to be Cumberland Academy middle school, a Whitehouse ISD elementary school and soon a Whitehouse ISD middle school.

Originally work on Paluxy Drive was scheduled to start in 2024 and would be amended to start in 2025; the overpass was to begin in 2027 but would be amended to begin in 2025; and the work on Rhones Quarter Drive was to begin in 2025 but would be amended to begin in 2028.

The new proposal is to focus on widening Paluxy Drive from Jeff Davis Drive to FM 344 and construction of an overpass at FM 346, Howell said. Paluxy will be widened to be a five lane street with two lanes of traffic traveling in each direction and a turning lane.

The overpass, as heard from community members, will help in alleviating some of the traffic in the area. This is a heavily traveled route, especially during rush hours, Howell said.

After these are finished, focus will be placed on widening Rhones Quarter Drive to five lanes as well, he said.

With all of the schools in the area, a lot of traffic is generated on these roads, Howell said. Along with this, as more schools are built, it is an indication that more residential areas will pop up, causing even more traffic.

“The lack of the turn lane, especially on Rhones Quarter, has really caused a choke point for people trying to get into that Whitehouse School because they have to make a turn to get on to the county road that takes them there,” he said. “And given that there’s no turn lane, it just stops any of that moving traffic, so being able to have just even a turn lane out there will really help the overall traffic flow in and out of that a lot.”

Overall, the consensus on amending the start dates of these projects has been positive, Howell said. Along with Tyler MPO meetings, TxDOT had also held multiple public meetings for people to voice their thoughts.

“The biggest thing that we’re trying to let everybody know of tonight is just updating the scheduling of when it’s going to be because right now we think with this new proposal, it should definitely be a much better schedule for everybody from the traveling public,” he said.

Funding for these projects comes primarily from federal transportation dollars, according to Howell. As of now, the widening of Paluxy Drive is anticipated to cost around $23.7 million and the overpass around $20 million. At this time a final cost estimate for Rhones Quarter Drive is uncertain with inflation and other factors.

Each of these projects have been under development for a while, Howell said. The MPO simply wishes for everyone to know about changes in the timetables for them.

“Hopefully everybody agrees with the route that we’re trying to take,” he said.

Questions and comments about these projects and the proposed time amendments can be submitted by emailing the MPO at mpo@tylertexas.com or through the Contact Us page under the About section of the MPO’s website at www.tylerareampo.org .

All comments will be presented to the MPO’s Transportation Policy Committee when the proposed amendment is considered for adoption on Nov. 17.