Everman outlines timelines for Wichita and Hannah Ranch projects and adopts rule to make contractors restore streets

The Everman City Council heard updates Aug. 12 on several ongoing roadway and sewer projects that will affect traffic patterns in parts of the city and unanimously approved an ordinance requiring contractors to restore streets after making trench cuts.

City staff and a representative from Tarrant County detailed schedules and traffic changes tied to the Wichita Street reconstruction and the Hannah Ranch Sewer Main project, both of which have required detours and temporary lane patterns. The council then adopted Ordinance No. 840, a new restoration standard that requires deeper repairs when utilities cut newly constructed roadways.

The Wichita Street reconstruction, funded through the office of Tarrant County Commissioner Roderick Miles and overseen by Precinct 1, is expected to be substantially complete by Thursday, Aug. 20 (project speaker estimated “by next Thursday, the 20 first”). That work includes a new roadway surface, updated signage, lane markings and flex delineators. A separate segment of Wichita remains delayed while utility work finishes; staff said construction cannot proceed until utilities complete their portion.

In a public comment, Jamal Williams, executive assistant to Tarrant County Commissioner Roderick Miles, told the council that Fort Worth will begin construction on several stretches of Oak Grove and adjacent roads from Aug. 14–17, with work hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; north- and southbound traffic will be detoured to Ray Street during those times. Williams said the work addresses long-standing pavement deterioration that affects Everman residents and school traffic.

The Hannah Ranch Sewer Main project is running roughly six months behind schedule, staff reported, and is not expected to be complete until the end of the year. Staff said the east side segment (from Forest Hill Drive east past Hickory) should clear within about a week, restoring two-way traffic on the east side, but the west-side segment (Enon west of Forest Hill Drive) will remain closed for the duration of the project. Contractors have installed a temporary line under Ray Street and plan to extend work up Roycee Brooks and down Lee Street once Wichita Street reopens.

To protect recently reconstructed streets from repeated trenching, the council unanimously passed Ordinance No. 840, which sets restoration requirements for utility work in the right of way. Staff said the measure requires more substantial restoration on roads two years old or newer (including milling and overlay requirements), and sets graduated standards for older streets, mirroring common county standards. City officials said the rule responds to imminent crossings of newly paved streets by the Hannah Ranch contractor and is intended to protect the city’s investment in roadway improvements.

City staff and the city attorney said they drafted the ordinance quickly because crews were scheduled to cross recently rebuilt streets. City staff also noted ongoing coordination with utility companies and contractors to minimize traffic disruptions and to communicate detours to residents and affected businesses.

The council did not set new completion dates beyond the contractor estimates. Staff said they will continue to coordinate with Fort Worth, Tarrant County and utility providers on traffic control, notifications to schools and businesses, and follow-up enforcement if restoration standards are not met.