By Moses Leos III
Kyle city officials are estimating construction on Goforth Road between Brandi Circle and Bunton Creek Road to be completed Oct. 7, weather permitting.
Leon Barba, Kyle city engineer, said earlier this month construction on the Goforth Road project, which extends from Interstate 35 to Bunton Creek Road, was 36 percent complete.
The entire project, which began in March 2016, has a 13-month contract and should be completed by April 2017. Barba said the project is running slightly ahead of schedule, using 34 percent of the allotted time.
Barba said Joann Garcia, Kyle Project Manager, worked with the contractor to change the sequence of construction, which allowed the city to gain two months on the project.
He also said Pedernales Electric Cooperative, along with Centerpoint Energy, “made some commitments, stepped up and took care of business” on addressing utilities in the path of the project.
“Do we still have utility issues? Yes, we do,” Barba said.
Kyle City Council member Daphne Tenorio, however, had concerns over businesses along Goforth, which would be affected by the final phase of the Goforth project.
Barba said the area near businesses would be the last section contractors would work on, but that traffic would continue to flow. He said business owners have asked for signage.
But Tenorio said the city should offer “some type of gesture” for those businesses affected. She asked for the city to have some sort of outreach for affected busiess owners.
“We need to go out there and understand there is an issue here. We’re killing people’s businesses,” Tenorio said. “I’m not blaming you (Leon). That’s part of construction. That’s what it is.”
Meanwhile, Barba said the city’s contractor on the Goforth Road extension, which would connect Bunton Creek Road to Kyle Parkway, is expected to start in late October.
Bunton Creek Road, however, continues to have utility issues that need to be resolved, Barba said. The city’s contractor is working on “some noncritical items to get started,” he added.
The city expects to begin Nov. 4 on construction on Bunton Creek, which costs approximately $4.6 million, and will take approximately 18 months.
Acquiring five parcels of land, along with completing negotiations with Union Pacific, are two major hurdles that stand in the way of the Burleson Street project, which extends from Milller Street to I-35.
Barba said the city is working to acquire five parcels of land. But negotiations with one property owner for a small parcel have been a challenge. Barba said the city has reached out, but the owner has been “nonresponsive.”
The city must also work with Union Pacific regarding portions of Burleson near the railroad tracks.
With 90 percent of plans complete, Barba said the $5.1 million Lehman Road improvement is scheduled to start in March 2017.
