By Michael V. Hannigan
You asked us what the schedule was for fixing FM 317 in Athens, so we asked TxDOT … but I don’t think you are going to like the answer.
According to TxDOT spokesperson Kathi White, repairs are still several months away.
In a statement that was released to area news outlets Friday, TxDOT said:
Work on design plans for repairs to FM 317 in Henderson County just outside of Athens is nearing completion. The roadway washed out about three miles east of SH 31 last spring due to excessive rain and has remained closed to traffic.
Once the plans for a permanent repair are finalized and approved, the project will likely go to bid in February. Construction should get underway in the spring with repairs taking several months to complete before the roadway returns to normal traffic flow.
Stabilization work to prevent additional damage to the road was conducted last summer under emergency contract. The work was coordinated with the Corp of Engineers and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Traffic detours will stay in place until the road is rebuilt.
So there you go. Unfortunately, many of you will continue that scenic detour down FM 2495 until spring.
Thanks for the update, Michael. So they’re planning on repairing it about the time we usually start getting MORE rain — which will hold things up even longer… Sigh.
This is simply Absurd ! The real problem is that there is No sense of urgency by this group . I have Many years of experience in ‘ Dirt Work ‘ and can assure anyone that although it may be a complicated fix , it is Not an impossible fix . I would wager that if this was an inconvience to any of the TXDOT folks it would have been repaired months ago !