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A Texas Department of Transportation proposal to widen State Highway 4 from east of Brownsville city limits to SpaceX is the subject of a virtual public meeting starting at 5 p.m. on March 26 and an in-person option on March 27 at Senator Eddie A. Lucio Jr. Middle School.
The project would widen S.H. 4 from 2,700 feet east of Oklahoma Avenue to Joanna Street from two lanes to a four-lane divided roadway. The new road would feature two 12-foot-wide travel lanes, an eight-foot-wide shoulder in both directions, and flush paved median 4 to 12 feet in width separating opposing traffic, according to TxDOT.
The proposed improvements also would include an eight-foot-wide hike-and-bike path, four feet of grass separating it from the shoulder, on the south side of S.H. 4 for approximately 3.75 miles from Quicksilver Avenue to LBJ Boulevard, plus another mile of path past the widening
The proposed improvements also include an 8-foot bike path with 4-foot grass separation on the south side of S.H. 4 for approximately 3.75 miles from Quicksilver Avenue to LBJ Boulevard.
Existing culverts would be extended to accommodate the wider roadway, with turning lanes being added to some intersections. All proposed changes would be within the existing 100- to 200-foot right-of-way, TxDOT said.
The proposed project would involve construction in wetlands and would “involve an action in a floodplain,” according to TxDOT.
Maps and drawings showing the project location, design and other information are on file and available for inspection Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the TxDOT Pharr District Office, 600 W. Interstate 2. Project materials are also available online at www.txdot.gov, keyword “SH4/Boca Chica Blvd).”
Hard copies of the material will also be available at the in-person public meeting, which takes place 5-7 p.m. at Lucio Middle School, 300 N. Vermillion Ave. in Brownsville. Attendees will be able to leave written comments.
The virtual public meeting beginning March 26 will consist of a prerecorded video/audio presentation, which will be accessible online through April 11 at 11:59 p.m. Go to www.txdot.gov and type in the keyword “SH 4 (Boca Chica Blvd).” The virtual and in-person presentations will be conducted in English and Spanish.
For those without internet access who want to ask questions, call project manager Andres Espinoza at (956) 399-5102 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The virtual public meeting and in-person option will be conducted in English and Spanish. Translators will be provided to anyone who needs one, and special arrangements can be made for those with disabilities in most cases, according to TxDOT. To make arrangements for translation or disability assistance for the in-person meeting, call Norma Robledo with the Pharr District Office at (956) 702-6161 no later than 4 p.m. March 21.
Written comments may be submitted via email to [email protected], or mailed to TxDOT Pharr District Office ATTN: Nolan Nicolas, 600 W. Interstate 2, Pharr, TX 78577. Verbal comments can be left on voice mail at (800) 657-7711.
All comments must be received on or before Friday, April 11. Responses to comments will eventually be available online at www.txdot.gov, keyword “SH 4 (Boca Chica Blvd).”