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TxDOT updates Loop 20, SH‑84 and SH‑359 work; study underway for 255/1472 intersection
Summary
TxDOT’s Laredo area office reported updates on major roadworks — including Loop 20, SH‑84 and SH‑359 — and said a study is evaluating options at the US‑255/Federal‑1472 intersection, including a roundabout, prompting safety concerns from committee members.
TxDOT’s Laredo area office reported progress on major contracts and briefed the MPO Policy Committee on safety and reconstruction work across several corridors.
Denise Garcia, Laredo assistant area engineer, said the Loop 20 reconstruction (reported as a roughly $344 million contract) is about 27% complete and remains on schedule for a 2029 completion date under a 60‑month contract. The SH‑84 project (about $122 million) from Mines Road to I‑35 West is at about 40% completion and is expected to finish in fall 2027. The SH‑359 widening contract (approximately $50 million) is about halfway complete, and TxDOT staff said they expect westbound paving to begin in the fall.
Garcia also outlined other projects: Lomas Del Sur (a roughly $50 million contract) will begin barrier work and temporary lane closures the week of the meeting with a formal ribbon‑cutting scheduled in late July/August timeframe, and illumination and a new traffic signal on Riverbank Drive at I‑69 Frontage Road are included in a Cotro Vientos lighting contract slated to start in October with completion by mid‑2026. A separate multi‑location mill and inlay contract (about $10.5 million) will include work on I‑35 southbound main lanes from Shiloh to downtown and will require nightly lane closures in the fall.
On US‑255 in the Mines Road area — where the intersection with FM‑1472 currently has a blinking signal — TxDOT said it has a consultant assessing options including a roundabout. Several committee members expressed safety concerns about installing a roundabout at that location for high‑speed, heavy‑truck traffic; one commenter who identified themselves in the record as a crash reconstructionist said, “That’s the worst thing you could put out there,” and asked staff to return with more analysis before making a decision. TxDOT staff said the consultant will evaluate vehicle types, turning radii and the potential for truck rollovers as part of the options analysis.
A traffic signal at 255/1472 and illumination contracts were discussed; staff reported the lighting and signal elements are combined in one contract with work expected simultaneously and completion targeted for mid‑2026. For projects that cross jurisdictional or regional boundaries — including I‑35 checkpoint congestion concerns raised by committee members — staff noted some locations are outside the MPO boundary and will require expanded coordination if the MPO boundary changes.
Committee members asked for updates as consultant analyses are completed and requested the agency return with more detailed safety and freight‑traffic evaluation before selecting an intersection treatment.
