Bankhead Highway is closed off to thru-traffic for the time being, and the city has asked patrons to use the Interstate 20 service road as a detour.
Construction for the utility line project will typically take place from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but with the start of Aledo schools just around the corner, construction start time will be delayed for the first several days to ease traffic, according to Rose Hoffman, the city’s Communications and Marketing director.
The project has not been without complaints.
At the July 28 Willow Park City Council meeting, resident Marcy Galle, said: “Bankhead Highway should never be completely closed to through traffic.”
When asked about doing the work at night, Public Works Director Chase McBride said it would raise costs around 30-40% more and City Manager Toni Fisher said it's not within the city's budget.
Hoffman said the city will continue to be in contact with the Aledo ISD Transportation Department so it can make decisions on bus routes as needed. The same level of communication will continue to aid in smooth operations of the emergency services district, first-responders, postal service, and even garbage collections.
The overall project that runs “along East Bankhead Highway from the southwest corner of the Beall-Dean development to Ranch House Road” began July 21 and is expected to take a little more than a year to complete, according to the City of Willow Park. It is a water and sewer line extension from Willow Bend Drive to the southwest corner of the Beall-Dean property.
The Beall-Dean property stretches from the southwest intersection of FM 1187 and Interstate 20 to Bankhead Highway.
The current west-bound detour is at Nu Energy Drive and the eastbound detour is at Beverly Drive. In either case, traffic is routed back to the east-bound I-20 access road, where drivers can continue east or cross the FM 1187 bridge to go westbound.
Locations of the detours are subject to change without notice.
The timeline of the project may vary, but each section is estimated to take between two to four weeks. Phase 1 (sections 1-3) is active.
“As we get into each individual phase we will share information for that phase,” Hoffman said.
“We (city staff) are asking for the community’s patience. We know this is uncomfortable. We know that it’s inconvenient. It’s a struggle, but it’s gonna take all of us working together cooperatively to get it done,” Hoffman said.
To stay updated on the project timeline visit: https://bit.ly/BankheadHighway.
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