T-DOT officials say progress continues to be made on the design phase of a Celina Truck Route Project despite some setbacks.
T-DOT Region Two Communications Officer Rae-Anne Bradley said the project will create a State Route 52 bypass from near Kyle Street to near Washington Street. It will reroute large trucks away from downtown Celina, where tight curves have created safety concerns for years. Bradley said the project faces several key steps nearing completion.
“The design plans are about 90 percent complete. Right-of-way acquisition is underway, utility coordination is ongoing, and we expect to receive the necessary environmental permits for the project very soon,” Bradley said.
Clay County officials had hoped the construction phase would begin later this year. However, Bradley said the expected date of when the project will break ground is unknown at this time, as T-DOT has had complications related to right-of-way acquisition, particularly when it comes to relocating residents.
“In the Celina area, there’s very limited available housing for some necessary relocations, and you know, several residents obviously want to stay within the community,” Bradley said. “And so to meet that need, T-DOT will have to purchase some property and construct new housing. That’s a relatively new process for the department and obviously requires extensive coordination with each affected property owner. So to address this, we have developed a plan that follows the Federal Uniform Relocation Act, and it guides us through the process of purchasing property, constructing housing, and securing all the required signatures, so on and so forth.”
Bradley said all residents who will be relocated due to the project have been interviewed and have agreed to the approach. Bradley said that while the project still has many moving parts, T-DOT is working hard to push forward.
“T-DOT is committed to advancing each step as efficiently as possible and working to act in the best interest of the property owners,” Bradley said.
Once complete, Bradley said the new truck route is expected to significantly improve safety and traffic flow in the area by reducing congestion and lowering the risk of crashes involving large trucks.