Work on the roadway was originally scheduled to be completed in March, according to city documents.
The details
The planned work includes constructing Wilmeth Road as a four-lane roadway with the addition of three multilane roundabouts at the road’s intersections with:
- Lake Forest Drive
- Taylor Burk Drive
- Hardin Boulevard
The work, which initially began in March 2022, has seen delays due to conflicts with underground utilities. Construction work was halted last fall at the Lake Forest Drive and Hardin Boulevard intersections when conflicts with AT&T and Oncor facilities were identified, Capital Improvement Program Manager Blake Sills said.
Work began again in March following the relocation of conflicting utilities.
What’s happening?
The contractor working on the project, Sinacola, has identified an additional conflict with Oncor utilities at the intersection of Wilmeth Road and Hardin Boulevard.
The conflicting utilities, an underground conduit, were not relocated to the correct depth and location in the initial clearing of Oncor utilities at the intersection prior to construction,Director of Engineering Gary Graham said in a statement.
"The city is actively working with Oncor to minimize the delays this issue will have on the project," he said.
City staff is considering modifying design elements that would remove the conflict and allow construction to move forward, according to city documents.
“As state law has increasingly limited local authority over franchise utility companies, we do not have the ability to control the franchise utility companies’ schedules even when conflicts are identified during construction and requiring additional relocations,” Graham said.
Work on the intersection at Lake Forest Drive is continuing during the delay at the neighboring Hardin Boulevard intersection. The completion of construction at the intersection of Hardin Boulevard and Wilmeth Road will be dependent on the relocation of underground utilities by Oncor, Sills said.
Due to the delays, an extension of the construction contract for the project was requested by representatives of Sinacola and is being negotiated, according to city documents. The contract extension would result in an estimated completion date in August.
