Expect delays

TYLER-Drivers might want to find another way to go while TXDOT begins a two-month construction project on Southwest Loop 323 and Old Jacksonville Highway in Tyler. And TXDOT officials say the work shows just how fast this part of Tyler is growing.

Whether you live in Tyler or Longview, expect delays. Construction began Monday in Tyler and almost as quickly as they put the warnings up, traffic came to a screeching halt.

Over the past several decades, Old Jacksonville Highway has transformed from a quiet state road seeing only 600 or so cars a day to thousands of vehicles. TXDOT's Larry Krantz says the extension of Loop 49 over Old Jacksonville is to blame for the almost instant growth.

Now officials have realized that a single left turn lane onto Old Jacksonville from Loop 323 isn't practical. So over the next two months, crews will be breaking into the median to expand the single turn lane into two.

But in order to eventually have more mobility, for the next few weeks you and I will have to be a little more patient when driving down Old Jacksonville or the Loop.

"Anytime we work on the road its not like we can take them back to the shop and then roll it back out," TXDOT's Larry Krantz said. "It needs to be done under traffic, that's unfortunate but in the end we're going to be eliminating the traffic bottleneck."

Not only will there be an extra turn lane onto the highway, but portions of the road itself will also be getting a new coat of asphalt, which is one more reason your trip will be longer.

"The end result of the project of Old Jacksonville will be resurfacing from Grande to its meeting with Broadway in Tyler," Krantz said.

In Longview, U.S. 259 is getting resurfaced between FM 1844 and North Loop 281.