Ongoing Phase 1 work on SH 26 in Colleyville has caused enough upheaval that the city has appointed an official to oversee work months before the Texas Department of Transportation is expected to dig in to the Phase 2 section of the roadway.

Traffic snarling has persisted as the project to widen the road to six lanes with raised-curb medians has bogged down, but Val Lopez, public information office with TxDOT, said issues out of the control of TxDOT have caused the delays to date. Colleyville has tried to mitigate problems recently by assigning uniformed police officers to the intersection of SH 26 and John McCain Road during the morning and evening rush because of traffic signal malfunctions and vehicle backups.

In all, Colleyville is focused on the project because, as Mayor Pro Tem Mike Taylor said, "This is the most substantial project we'll take on in our city that has the greatest long-term benefit."

A range of troubles

TxDOT records show plans to rework SH 26 from SH 114 to the south side of Colleyville have been on the drawing board since the turn of the millennium.

The section being widened now from John McCain Road northeast to Brumlow Avenue/Pool Road is less than a mile in length and bears a price tag of more than $12.9 million. Construction began in July 2012 and has exceeded its allotted time by more than three months.

"A perfect storm of issues have caused delays on the SH 26 reconstruction project, including some utility issues with the start of the project, accommodating swallows nesting on Big Bear Creek Ridge—which is required by federal environmental regulations—the decision to upgrade the design, and the historically severe winter of 2013-2014 and wet spring that followed," Lopez said.

Bob Lowry, director of public works for Colleyville, said the swallow nesting issue caught the contractor and TxDOT by surprise.

"Before anybody knew they were there, they started hatching," Lowry said. "Under the Federal Migratory Bird Act, it's against the law to roost any birds out of their nests."

Once that issue was resolved, a subcontractor under AUI Construction went bankrupt, stalling work, Lowry said.

"You're required to have a certain percentage of historically disadvantaged business—minority contractors—and [the minority company] basically walked off the job," he said. "[AUI] had to recertify with a new disadvantaged business, and that took some time."

Lopez said expanding the scope of the project, including a right-turn lane at Brumlow Avenue/Pool Road, landscaping tweaks and a retaining wall, have further pushed the project back.

"The project is behind schedule, but TxDOT is committed to developing a plan of action to construct this project to its highest standard," Lopez said.

Lowry said TxDOT has been meeting with the city and AUI Construction on a weekly basis. That has not been enough to stop surprises, however: An Aug. 12 traffic switch to new northbound lanes by AUI's team caused confusion and traffic backups as well as the potential for nearby businesses to lose roadway access.

"The city's position is that we're working with the businesses, the contractor and TxDOT as much as we can," Lowry said. "At the end of the day, it's a state project. Most of the residents in town don't necessarily understand that, and frankly, we just want the road built. I'm a resident of Colleyville. But because it's a state highway, the city has very little control over what happens out there."

A worrisome August

The Aug. 12 traffic switch by AUI was perhaps the biggest motivator for Colleyville assigning its construction manager Craig Knight to serve as what Lowry calls the "ombudsmen, problem-solver and public relations specialist" on the SH 26 project. Colleyville City Council focused on the Aug. 12 incident that evening at one of its budget planning meetings.

"I'm really upset with what happened," Mayor Pro Tem Mike Taylor said. "The fact that property owners have been willing to attend these meetings, they're doing their part, and they get a knock on the door saying, 'We're shutting you down.' That's not acceptable."

Taylor said the incident makes the city's appointment of Knight all the more important.

"We're going to have to take the initiative," Taylor said. "This team has to work with every property and business owner.

City Manager Jennifer Fadden said the Aug. 12 traffic switch was not the first time trouble had arisen.

"We've been pulling at the fringes to dedicate staff time to resolve these issues," Fadden said. "We knew we needed to dedicate a staff member to this. I can't tell you how many conflicts with utilities that staff has resolved out in the field about commitments made years ago by TxDOT that have not been incorporated into the current plans."

Looking to 2015

Lowry said the city has a number of steps to take before it is prepared for the Phase 2 portion of the project, a $36.5 million, 1.5-mile reconstruction effort.

"The immediate challenge is getting all the rest of the underground and above-ground utilities out of the way between John McCain Road and Brown Trail," Lowry said. "The city has a contractor working diligently to move all the water and sewer lines out of the way. Oncor has a contractor working diligently to move all of the power poles out of the way and move electric lines from old poles to new poles. Atmos has a contractor working diligently to get all the gas lines out of the way. The telecommunications companies have to come in and get their stuff moved."

Lowry said Colleyville is hoping to have the way cleared for TxDOT by December.