34-year project comes to its completion
By Guy Chapman – Navarro County Gazette
A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 20 to announce the opening of the SH 31 Relief Route, held at the west end of the Relief Route near the TxDOT building. The event will recognize the entities involved in the process of bringing this road to completion.
The Highway 31 relief route is a $105.9 million multi-lane highway designed to reduce congestion through Corsicana by providing faster and safer driving routes for the over 4,000 trucks that travel daily to move goods through the City. Initially planned in 1987, work on the Highway 31 relief route began on Oct. 26, 2016.
The 18-mile, two-lane freeway route will feature continuous frontage roads, and provide faster east to west access through the Hwy 31 interchange by connecting along the southern outer edge of Corsicana from three miles west of FM 2555 to three miles east of I-45.
The main lanes will introduce two 12-foot wide lanes and 4-foot and 10-foot wide shoulders in each direction, while the frontage roads will provide 12-foot wide lane and one 14-foot wide lane in each direction with 4-foot wide shoulders. Additionally, the route will make use of seven crossings and 26 bridges, three of which going over rail lines and the I-45 and Hwy 31 interchange.
The Highway 31 relief route provides numerous advantages for local traffic and trucks commuting through the area. This time-saving highway allows travelers to bypass local city traffic and avoid congestion, while providing easier means for commuters to travel from one side of Corsicana to the other. For those who are visiting and live in Corsicana, this means less traffic to for those wanting to visit local business.
The schedule for tomorrow’s ribbon cutting ceremony is as follows:
Welcome & Introduction
Don Denbow, Mayor City of Corsicana
Special Remarks By
H.M. Davenport, Navarro County Judge
Mo Bur, TxDOT District Engineer
Ribbon Cutting
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