Friday, Dec. 19, 2008

End of construction brings relief to U.S. 377

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By SARAH JUNEK

Traffic congestion on U.S. 377 has eased with the opening of a four-lane stretch through north Keller.

The long lines of stand-still traffic that were regular sights while the 2.4 miles from Johnson Road to Texas 170 were under construction haven’t been spotted since last month, when the stretch was opened, said Keller police Lt. Robert Enckhausen.

Accidents in that area are coming down and with the raised median, "it’s a lot safer for everyone," he said.

"We don’t have near the backlog especially with Marshall Ridge opening up with all the construction traffic coming in and out," he said.

A line of cars ranging between 50 to a 100 long waiting to turn east into the development or west onto Keller-Haslet Road in the afternoon "was not uncommon," he said. With the number of 18-wheelers coming in and out of Marshall Ridge, a 1,000-home development under construction, "it’s made a big improvement," he said.

So have two traffic lights installed at Johnson and Keller-Hicks roads. Two more will be installed in early spring at Mount Gilead and Keller-Haslet roads as soon as supplies are shipped, said Val Lopez, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation.

The expansion has relieved congestion, but officers are also looking forward to scheduled improvements on Golden Triangle Boulevard and a potential connection of Timberland Boulevard to U.S. 377 at Mount Gilead Road.

Adding that one-mile stretch to Timberland is something his officers are looking forward to, said Enckhausen.

The railroad cross-over at Caylor Road "will remain open until Mount Gilead is improved," and will be closed because Mount Gilead is more of a thoroughfare, Lopez said.

Keller officials have held preliminary discussions with Fort Worth, Tarrant County and the Keller school district about connecting Timberland Boulevard and U.S. 377, Assistant City Manager Chris Fuller said.

However, he cautioned, there is "no definitive date for completion or construction."

The Keller district’s fourth high school, set to open in August 2009, is off of Timberland. The Marshall Ridge development is near where the road would meet the highway, and a majority of the city’s undeveloped commercial land falls to the north and south of the proposed new intersection.

A Fort Worth spokeswoman, Janice Thompson-Burgess, said expansion of the road is included in an update to the master thoroughfare plan to go before Fort Worth City Council next month. However, funds for the project have to come from the next bond program, which is likely three or more years away, or by developers through transportation impact fees incured by development in the area, she said.

With the final stretch now widened, U.S. 377 is now a major north-south corridor from Northeast Loop 820 to Texas 170. Still, it lags Farm Road 1709 in traffic counts.

A 2007 count showed that 30,000 to 37,000 vehicles travel the highway each day; the busiest stretch is between Kroger Drive and North Tarrant Parkway.

By comparison, Farm Road 1709 sees up to 40,000 cars daily.

But in the next five years, the population of Keller is projected to grow by 8,500 to 41,000.