Demolition to outside lanes began March 11, said Clay Lipscomb, a city engineer.
The project will add a southbound right-turn lane onto the westbound President George Bush Turnpike on-ramp. Dual left-turn lanes will also be added for southbound Preston Road traffic to the eastbound turnpike on-ramp, according to the city’s online project update.
The project will add capacity and provide more efficiency in the traffic-heavy area, Lipscomb said.
“The need for the project is based on traffic increases in both the north and southbound directions along Preston Road entering and exiting the City of Plano and City of Dallas,” Lipscomb said in an email.
This project includes six phases, he said.
The first three phases will include the removal of pavement and existing bridges, the construction of a new bridge substructure to the west of the existing bridge, and the construction of the new bridge’s superstructure and a roadway widening. These three phases are expected to be complete by December.
Nightly closures will take place during demolition phases, according to TxDOT Public Information Officer Shawn Yousefi.
The fourth phase will include adding roadway widening pavement and removing existing pavement along the west side of Preston Road, beginning in November and ending in December.
Construction of medians and sidewalks and any other final elements of the project will take place from December to February 2021, when the project is expected to be completed, pending weather.
Updates on the project will be posted on the city's website, where a special projects page has been created, Lipscomb said.
