Commissioner announces Blythe Road closure for repairs; detours planned

A county commissioner announced that Blythe Road, between Highway 5 and Highway 75, will be closed for construction the week of Aug. 1 under an interlocal agreement with the county, the city of Van Alstyne, the city of Howe and a developer tied to Howe MUD No. 1.

The commissioner said crews plan to close the road for about two weeks and attempt to reopen it before the local school year begins. "Please do not go on Blythe Road when it's closed," the commissioner said, urging drivers to use alternate routes and follow posted detours.

The announcement said the work is intended to bring the road up to a safer, serviceable condition; the commissioner cited a traffic count of about 1,100 vehicles per day on the road in its current state. "I think there was one count of 1,100 cars a day on that road in the condition it currently is," the commissioner said.

During a follow-up exchange, a committee member asked whether the rebuilt roadway will remain two lanes. The commissioner confirmed the current project will restore the road with the same two-lane configuration (one lane in each direction). He said potential additional lanes or parallel roadways would depend on future phases of the Howe MUD No. 1 development: the developer would build a concrete two-lane road on the north side when that phase proceeds.

A developer was noted as being present at the meeting and may speak later about the development schedule. There was no formal vote or action recorded in the meeting transcript on the road work; officials framed the remarks as an announcement and operational clarification. The county asked drivers to plan for detours during the closure and said safety of road users and construction crews is a priority.