Forney, Texas – Kaufman County Precinct 1 Commissioner Ray Clark announced improvements to the entry/exit ramps on U.S. Highway 80 are at the top of the list of projects outlined in the Kaufman County Transportation bonds. The announcement was made at the Forney Economic Development Corporation's "Eggs and Updates" quarterly meeting on Wednesday, January 22, 2014.
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The $2.5 million project is most commonly known to area residents as the Farm-to-Market (FM) 460 ramp project or Liberty Hill Project. The project will relocate the dangerous FM 460 to U.S. Highway 80 entrance ramp further to the east near Dairy Queen – allowing more room for traffic to merge.
The location of the current onramp at FM 460 will be converted into the Broad Street exit. The current Broad Street exit will be demolished and rebuilt further east near Kids of Clay Childcare Center.
A new service road will also be constructed. Instead of the current service road merging into Broad Street and going into downtown Forney, the service road will run parallel with U.S. Highway 80.
According to Clark, because of the City of Forney's advanced planning, the project is near “shovel ready” which places it high on the to-do list. Judge Bruce Wood, who presides over the County Commissioners' Court, told inForney.com the bonds would likely be approved for sale at the court's first February meeting and funded in March.
The Commissioners' Court will also be approving a bond management company for which they have had a Requests for Qualifications out since December of 2013. Once approved, the City of Forney and Kaufman County will enter into an inter-local agreement to work with the Texas Department of Transportation to begin the project.
At this point, local and county officials are optimistic the construction may start before the previously reported construction start date in early 2015.
“People are also worried if money is saved on a project in Forney, the money will go elsewhere or to another city,” said Clark. “That's not going to happen. Any money that is saved within a precinct will stay within that precinct.”
The location of the current onramp at FM 460 will be converted into the Broad Street exit. The current Broad Street exit will be demolished and rebuilt further east near Kids of Clay Childcare Center.
A new service road will also be constructed. Instead of the current service road merging into Broad Street and going into downtown Forney, the service road will run parallel with U.S. Highway 80.
According to Clark, because of the City of Forney's advanced planning, the project is near “shovel ready” which places it high on the to-do list. Judge Bruce Wood, who presides over the County Commissioners' Court, told inForney.com the bonds would likely be approved for sale at the court's first February meeting and funded in March.
The Commissioners' Court will also be approving a bond management company for which they have had a Requests for Qualifications out since December of 2013. Once approved, the City of Forney and Kaufman County will enter into an inter-local agreement to work with the Texas Department of Transportation to begin the project.
At this point, local and county officials are optimistic the construction may start before the previously reported construction start date in early 2015.
“People are also worried if money is saved on a project in Forney, the money will go elsewhere or to another city,” said Clark. “That's not going to happen. Any money that is saved within a precinct will stay within that precinct.”