The Texas Department of Transportation project near the Medical Center that was put on hold for over a year will begin turning dirt this month. The grade separation project for Fredericksburg Road is moving forward without its previous bankrupt contractor.
The $14 million project to turn Medical drive into an underpass below Frederickburg road was supposed to start in late 2011, but needed some utility readjustment.
TxDOT spokesman Josh Donat said the all clear wasn’t given until August 2012, but by then, Ballenger, the contractor, was running into problems.
"We made the decision to not the let them move forward and that ended up being something that was advantageous to us," Donat said.
It was a few weeks months later that Ballenger went bankrupt, stalling dozens of projects across the state.
Texas Sterling Construction now owns the contract and will begin construction on Sept. 24.
"The purpose of the project is really about safety and saving lives," Donat said. "It’s to allow and unfettered path into the Medical Center."
Currently, emergency vehicles must wait at the traffic signal or slow down to cross the intersection.
"Those are valuable seconds that could mean the difference between life and death for somebody," Donat said.
The project should be completed in 2015.
