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Haslet officials flag safety, delays on Avondale‑Haslet Parkway bridge project with TxDOT
Summary
Council reviewed years of design work on the Avondale‑Haslet Parkway (Avondale‑Haslet Road) project, raised safety concerns about a proposed bridge profile with a steep 6% downgrade, noted TxDOT suspended the contract, and said federal BUILD grant funding of $20 million and utility relocations affected timing.
Haslet city leaders told the council Monday that safety concerns, utility relocation delays and a suspended TxDOT contract have slowed the Avondale‑Haslet Parkway project and left parts of the roadway completed only up to a construction “match line” identified as Station 69.
The item matters for safety and for local economic development: a completed parkway would open industrially‑zoned property and allow several subdivisions to connect to the new road.
Mayor Halsey reviewed the project’s history, saying Haslet executed a memorandum of understanding with TxDOT and the North Central Texas Council of Governments and later accepted a $20 million federal BUILD grant toward construction. But council staff and outside traffic engineers raised safety concerns about a bridge profile over the railroad with a minus 6% grade. “We think we’ve got a big problem here,” the mayor said, describing an independent stopping‑distance analysis that identified a 61‑foot collision zone at the top of the grade in certain conditions.
Mr. Anderson, a staff member, said TxDOT later provided an alternative profile that raises FM 156 about 5½ feet and lands the bridge on top of that grade; the city is awaiting a promised 60% design package and independent engineering comment on the revised profile. He also said TxDOT has suspended portions of the contract and is negotiating with the contractor to finish work through Station 69 so that nearby subdivisions can connect and private industrial development can proceed.
Council members and staff described utility relocation as a core cause of delay. The mayor said multiple utility owners were required to move facilities — fiber and other utilities — and that, as of the meeting, one telephone pole remained in the right‑of‑way. “The utilities, whether it’s fiber optics, whatever the case may be, there is no liability for those folks to move at any given time,” the mayor said, adding the city had maintained weekly coordination meetings to follow utility progress.
Staff emphasized Haslet’s limited control over the contract: prior agreements gave TxDOT management authority over the construction contract and oversight. No formal action was taken; staff said they would continue reviewing design materials and consult engineers on the safety profile before any city approval request.
