Texas 288 Resurfacing Project Awarded

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 30, 2006

The Texas Transportation Commission has awarded a contract to repair and repave nearly six miles of Texas 288 in South Harris County. By making full-depth repairs to the current highway and laying as much as five inches of new asphalt pavement, the roadway will be strengthened and provide a smoother driving surface. The present pavement on Texas 288 has reached the end of its design lifetime; consequently the concrete is showing signs of aggravated wear, cracking and spalling; however, a time table for the future expansion of the roadway and installation of new lanes has not been established. In the meantime, the lifetime of the current structure can be extended by the application of new asphalt pavement.

Durwood Greene Construction Company of Stafford, Texas, was awarded the $ 8,157,431 contract for the 5.6 miles of two- and three-lane highway. This will include the full depth repair for sections of the highway and the pavement of the total length. In addition the contractor will be repairing guardrail and installing improved safety barriers.

All work on this project will be completed by the end of summer, 2006.

"Water is the traditional enemy of highways," said Mr. Larry Heckathorn, P.E., and TxDOT’s Brazoria Area Engineer. "The newer asphalts being used on this project are designed to keep the concrete roadway as the foundation structure and by adding different kinds of asphalt, in layers, to achieve our purpose of an improved ride, extended lifetime and improved safety.

"On top of the concrete, a thin sealer is laid on the roadway, topped by gravel, to adhere the newer levels above it to the concrete below. The first 1 inch layer is a Rich Bottom Layer (RBL) that is impermeable to water. A 2 inch layer of traditional asphalt is then covered with an inch-and-a-half of Permeable Fiction Course (PFC), a nontraditional surface that allows water to be drained away from the surface. The new surfaces can promote safety and reduce maintenance costs," concluded Heckathorn.

For more information, contact the Public Information Office at (713) 802-5072.