The Streets of Euless are of great importance to both
the City Staff and the City Council. The
last number of years has seen a marked improvement in the thoroughfare system
in our City. Major street renovations
have included improvements to North Main Street, East Harwood Road, West
Pipeline Road, Westpark Way, Industrial Blvd, West Euless Blvd, Mid-Cities
Blvd, Baze Road, Glade Road, Gateway Blvd, State Hwy. 360, State Hwy. 121 and,
though still in progress, West Ash Lane.
New traffic control signal lights have been
installed at important locations including:
Industrial at Signet, West Pipeline Road at Driftwood, West Pipeline
Road at Westpark Way, West Harwood Road at Aransas Drive, Mid-Cities Blvd. at
Gateway Blvd. and Mid-Cities Blvd. at Baze Road.
The funding for these street projects has come from
a myriad of sources. The Texas
Department of Transportation has funded those state highways in the group,
Tarrant County has provided funds for some, some have been paid for from the
Euless Operating Budget and some have been funded from the proceeds of bonds
being issued for their reconstruction.
Glade Road has represented a sharing of costs between Colleyville,
Grapevine and Euless since it is partially within each of these cities. West Pipeline Road, though bounded by both
Euless and Bedford was paid for entirely by Euless since the entire road is in
Euless; the Bedford border lies just on the North side of the road. Though Bedford benefitted greatly by this
improvement, they refused to participate in the cost of that improvement. Though the State of Texas provided the major
funding for state highways, there are always costs allocated to our City
associated with those improvements.
Every year sees street overlays included in the
budget. This represents the process of
completely recovering the roadway from curb to curb with new hot mix
asphalt. For connector streets this work
is accomplished by equipment and personnel provided by Tarrant County at a cost
greatly reduced from what a commercial contractor would charge.
Any time we have a major street improvement or
street overlay we are also obligated to upgrade the access for pedestrians and
especially the handicapped. Handicap
ramps must be installed and sidewalks improved to meet the minimum requirements
for the handicapped.
Additionally, we have periodically patched portions
of streets where the original pavement has given way or moved.
Any street improvement project creates hardship for
those residents or businesses who must contend with the inconveniences of the
construction itself. We try to coordinate
with those who are impacted to lessen the hardship. We hope that the resulting improvement in the
future quality of life and resulting improved property values will compensate
for the temporary hardships endured.
The Streets of Euless are the purview of the Euless Public
Works Department under the Direction of Mr. Ron Young (817-685-1646) and they
do a great job in allowing all Euless Citizens to move about freely with little
impediments and little damage to our travelling vehicles.
Problem
Issue
One looming issue for Euless and its citizens is the
future of State Hwy. 183 Airport Freeway.
The current situation has that freeway being improved through Irving to
our East, and to our West, through Bedford, Hurst and other cities to
Interstate 35W. The one short segment of
that freeway, just that portion through Euless, is being left unimproved. Unimproved doesn’t mean that businesses in
Euless are not impacted by construction and by indecision relative to future
required rights of way. Our city is
being impacted. And we will be a bottle
neck for all those who move from East to West or West to East along this
roadway. One won’t be able to say “freeway”
when the improved portion is finished since it will be partially tolled. But, as I understand the project, the toll
roads will end before they traverse Euless.
This situation is not understood by the leadership
of your city but is the result of a lack of funding for the entire
project. We are working diligently to
get this resolved but at the moment see no resolution on the immediate
horizon. You need to know about this so
that you can use your influence to help us work through this project and get
the final improvements funded through the State of Texas. It is the state’s responsibility.
Your City Council is vigilant about our streets and
their condition. We would love to hear
from you if there is a specific problem in your area that hasn’t been properly
addressed. Call any of us. We will help you.
“The Streets of Euless:” just one more reason to
take pride in your FabEuless.
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