Plans to spend $61 million in state funds to widen a seven-mile stretch of Interstate 30 received a green light last week from the Texarkana Metropolitan Planning Organization's Policy Board.
TMPO's board members accepted and approved a proposal, included in the Fiscal Year 2027-2020 Texas Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The plan calls for the Texas Department of Transportation to earmark and spend at least $61 million to expand I-30 from four to six traffic lanes (three lanes for west bound and three for east bound traffic) in the roadway's corridor which runs from Farm to Market Road 989 (Kings Highway) west to North State Line Avenue (the Arkansas state line). Work on the project is tentatively slated to start in 2019, according to TMPO documents.
The board's decision now designates the project as a "Regionally Significant" project-one that will be part of Texas' overall statewide Connectivity Corridor Projects.
TMPO Study Director ReaDonna Jones said TxDOT will now be include and incorporate the board's project recommendation in the state's overall TIP.
Prior to the board's decision last week, the TMPO's Technical Committee met May 4 and agreed to recommend the I-30 widening project for Policy Board approval.
The expansion plan will focus on increasing roadway vehicle capacity as well relieving traffic congestion along with improving traffic safety throughout the corridor. The expansion will also likely aid in smoothing the flow of any additional traffic brought about by the possible and eventual completion of Interstate 49's north to south run in the area.
The TMPO itself produced its own 30-page Fiscal Year 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) Program to be part of the Texas portion of the Texarkana Metropolitan Planning Area, which also includes Texarkana, Ark. The TMPO staff presented the document to its Policy Board, which adopted the plan's overall concepts June 23 of last year.
Besides coming up with its own TIP,the TMPO also completed a 120-page Texarkana Urban Transportation Study which focused on a 25-year Metropolitan Transportation Plan that forecast the area's mobility makeup between 2015 and 2040. TMPO adopted this plan Sept. 17, 2014.