WEST TAWAKONI - Crews have begun setting up barricades ahead of construction on the $47.85 million project, which will replace the 52-year-old bridge.
The Texas Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that Williams Brothers Construction Company, Inc. was awarded the bid for the four-lane project, which is expected to take about two and a half years to complete. The current two mile bridge connects the towns of East and West Tawakoni, which sit in Rains and Hunt counties.
Phase 1 of this project will install drill shafts, columns, caps, bents, beams and slabs for the new bridge. It’ll be constructed immediately to the north of and parallel to the existing bridge, where traffic will continue to run through at least summer 2014. Subsequent construction phases will tie the new bridge alignment to the existing SH 276 roadway and demolish the existing bridge.
The public is encouraged to use the boat ramp located on the West Tawakoni side to access the lake during construction.