State transportation department finishing up 1.6-mile project

A project building six new lanes on a 1.6-mile stretch of Hwy. 114 toward Westlake is 80 percent complete and ahead of schedule, a Texas Department of Transportation official said.

The work starts at the intersection with Business 114 near Byron Nelson Boulevard and continues just beyond Westlake Parkway/Trophy Club Drive.

TxDOT spokeswoman Michelle Releford said crews are installing retaining wall panels and box culverts; grading the bike path under the Marshall Creek Bridge; working on the Business 114 bridge; and pouring the deck on westbound SH 114.

The target date for completion still is spring or summer 2013, she said.

Comments made to Community Impact Newspaper's story online questioned why a smaller project than the DFW Connector is taking around a year to complete.

"It's all about the money," Releford said.More money dedicated to a project means around-the-clock work.

Releford also said the 114 work involves building six lanes — three eastbound and three westbound — from the ground up, so excavation and concrete work are extensive.

She noted that this is not a design-build project like the Connector. Design-build saves time because the last part still is being designed while the beginning is under construction.

The 114 project also includes constructing elevated on- and off-ramps and reconstructing the existing roadways into direct-connect ramps, connecting to the main lanes near Trophy Lake Drive.

The estimated $33 million project is funded with state money and regional toll revenue.