TxDOT lays out proposed Loop 335 project

Texas Department of Transportation laid out a proposed plan Tuesday night for major road changes that include a new section of South Loop 335.

The plan would include building a new section of the loop to align with Helium Road, stretching north along Helium before veering northeast into Soncy Road before it intersects with Southwest Ninth Avenue, TxDOT Amarillo Transportation Planner Terry Nix said at the meeting at Ascension Academy, 9301 Ascension Parkway.

The new section of the loop would stretch about 7.8 miles across Potter and Randall counties.

The plan includes a four-lane section with a provision for future expansion to a six-lane section.

Construction will also consist of an Interstate 40 bridge, a Loop 335 bridge and associated direct connectors.

Improvements along I-40 to the lanes, ramps and frontage roads will help accommodate a proposed interchange between I-40 and Loop 335.

The project also includes 6-foot sidewalks on both sides of the loop and a 14-foot shared-use lane for bicycles.

Nix said the proposed project is needed for multiple reasons - to provide a freight corridor, address hazardous cargo and materials traveling along the loop, and to improve traffic operations, mobility, safety and connectivity.

"There's a lot of freight that comes through Amarillo," Nix said. "We're hoping to get some funding for freight."

Studies show that traffic would triple or quadruple on South Coulter Street and Soncy Road in 20 years under the current conditions, Nix said.

Helium is the preferred alternative to align with the loop because it has less of an impact to residential and commercial rights-of-way compared to Soncy and Hope roads, Nix said. No special phasing or staging is needed for its constructability, and it would have a minimal impact on utilities, he added.

Gus Khankaril, TxDOT director of transportation planning and development, said they could not discuss the purchasing process for the rights-of way involved in the project.

"We have to go through an environmental process," Khankaril said. "By rule, we can't have any discussion about that until we have an environmental clearance."

The public's comments will impact right-of-way purchasing, he said.

The project has three levels - the frontage roads will be at ground level, the second level is proposed to be I-40 and the third level will be Loop 335, Nix said.

The tentative date for construction is September 2017.