A new bridge and widening of Highway 155 are in planning states

By Marlene J. Bohr
mbohr@steelcountrybee.com

Members of area communities and Lake O’ the Pines gathered at an open house April 17 to listen to the proposed plans for Highway 155 roadway widening from 0.3 miles east of Highway 259 to 1.5 miles west of Farm-to-Market Road 729 in Marion and Upshur counties.  Also included with this project is the replacement of the Big Cypress Creek (Lake O’ the Pines) bridge.
Katie Martin from the TxDOT Atlanta District gave a power point presentation on the roadway widening and bridge replacement.
“The proposed project is to start one fourth of a mile east of Highway 259 and include the replacement of the bridge,” Ms. Martin said. “The bridge was first built in 1954 to cross Cypress Creek. Five years later the dam was built. The traffic on Highway 155 has increased and continues to increase. We want to add two more lanes, a median and shoulders.”
Ms. Martin said the purpose of the project was the fact that the bridge is 60 years old. Surveys were taken in 2010 that indicated 3,300 vehicles per day cross the bridge.  A later survey in 2012 indicated there were 4,000 vehicles per day.
“Of those vehicles in 2012, 13.7 percent were trucks that included semi trailers, tankers and log trucks,” Ms. Martin said. “Due to the age of the bridge and the traffic, we think it needs to be replaced to make it safer.
 

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