It has just been announced by the Texas Department of Transportation that traffic flow on State Highway 24 between Cooper and the Hunt County line has shifted to the newly constructed west lanes.
According to TxDOT Public Information Officer Tim McAlavy, the work on the old east lanes will begin, as part of the project to upgrade this segment of the highway from two lanes of traffic to four lanes. He advises travelers to reduce their speed in this area and follow signs and other traffic controls/pavement markings when driving through this area.
The speed limit will remain at 65 miles per hour during this transition phase.
Delta County Sheriff Ricky Smith said he hopes this will alleviate some of the accidents on this stretch of highway. He said they have worked more accidents on State Highway 24 than any other road in Delta County this year.
Funding for construction of the project was approved in 2011, as part of Proposition 12 bonds that were first approved by voters several years ago. The price tag was about $35 million. McAlavy said the project is on time for the expected completion date of late summer of 2017.
The Sulphur River Regional Mobility Authority secured the funding in 2012 to complete right-of-way and widening of the final stretch of State Highway 24.
