There will be a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. Wednesday, November 3, near the northeast corner of the future Loop 88 (FM 1585) and Indiana Avenue to mark the beginning of construction on Loop 88.
Parking will be available at the nearby United Supermarket.
This project has been in the planning stages for years. TxDOT representatives say this will begin a new chapter in the region’s transportation goal to imporve mobility and safety in onve of the county’s fastest growing areas. “This moves the idea of the Lubbock Outer Route from concept to concrete,” said the statement from TxDOT.
This project began with Feasibility Study in 2009.
The purpose of this project is to develop a corridor that meets future transportation needs. State Loop 88 will convert an existing two-lane FM road to a four access-controlled lane along with four frontage road lanes. This project has been deemed necessary due to the substantial population growth in Lubbock.
CobbFendley is handling all Negotiation, Relocation, Title Curative and Condemnation services in-house and is responsible for overseeing sub-consultants who are performing the appraisal services. CobbFendley is the Prime Contractor with TxDOT and is responsible for the delivery of the entire project. This project is a federally funded project, therefore, it requires a comprehensive understanding of the Uniform Relocation Assistance Act (URA). CobbFendley implemented and followed the URA in all areas of the project.
The primary challenges that this project presented were related to relocation. Displacees ranged from low-income residential to complex commercial. These relocation challenges were mitigated with opening a local office and hiring local relocation agents active in the project area. Displacees were handled on a very personal level allowing for the successful relocation of the various displacees on this project.
The Lubbock County Commissioners’ Court announced that the proposed Loop 88 will be officially known as “U.S. 84 Bypass” as construction begins soon.
The Loop 88 corridor will be located on the western outskirts of Lubbock connecting U.S. 84 in Slaton to U.S. 84 in Shallowater.
Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish said the designation will allow the county to attract additional funding from the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) for the construction of the project.
Parrish also said U.S. 84 that enters Lubbock city limits from Slaton and eventually becomes Avenue Q will be designated as “U.S. 84 Business” as well. This designation will allow the county to apply for funds that will improve roads and traffic congestion along Avenue Q.
“We’ll still call it Loop 88 until such time as we have the next coach to win a national championship for Lubbock,” said Parrish. “Right now, it’s Loop 88 and it will be Loop 88 in the near future as well.”
Completion of the Loop 88 project is expected to be in 15-20 years.
