Hwys. 114/170 update

A portion of a bridge in the road project at Hwys. 114 and 170 was torn out with a jackhammer because it didn't pass Texas Department of Transportation inspection, said spokeswoman Michelle Releford.

The section will be replaced at the contractor's expense, she said in an email.

Several Community Impact Newspaper readers commented on the jackhammer work last month, wondering why the work was being redone — and why the project is taking so long.

The work began in spring 2011 and is expected to be finished in September, Releford said, adding that "any delays can be attributed to utility relocations."

Readers also said TxDOT employees were sitting in their trucks not working.

Releford said TxDOT employees have to pull over to make and return phone calls, and also frequently use laptops in their vehicles for the job because there is no field office for the project.

She also said employees get a one-hour lunch break and two work breaks a day at varying hours.

"The project manager has been made aware of this perception that employees are not doing their job and he personally assured me that they would not be standing and 'chatting' about non-state business on the job unless on lunch or break," Releford wrote.

The $33 million project involves building six new lanes on a 1.6-mile stretch of highway heading west, beginning just beyond Westlake Parkway/Trophy Club Drive.