The rebuilding of an almost 2-mile stretch of Airport Road is drawing to a close, and the nearly finished product is drawing rave reviews from Jim Reed, who oversees the city of Waco’s capital improvements program.
“It’s been an example project of what gets done when we work together,” Reed said.
He praised contractor Knife River for its contribution to the $6.2 million undertaking now “99.7% complete.” He said the rebuilt section between Lake Shore Drive and Steinbeck Bend Drive should last another 20 years, with regular maintenance, and not monopolize repair crews.
“It was in really rough shape, well below anything that could be accomplished with simple rehab,” Reed said. “We were out there about every quarter, but frequency was not the problem. We would deal with one issue, then find another, extending our staff beyond the time we wanted them out there.”
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The roadway “was inundated with cracking,” some cracks more than an inch wide, Reed said. Street approaches to bridges crossing the Brazos River had become worn, and shoulders were “chewed up” from traffic navigating the 1.7-mile stretch of Airport Road receiving Knife River’s attention.
Reed said work began Sept. 22, 2022, meaning the project just passed the one-year mark. He said Knife River completed the task about 30 days ahead of schedule, and now is inspecting the finished product. Reed said besides rebuilding the roadway “from right-of-way line to right-of-way line,” crews made drainage improvements to more than 950 feet of the two-lane roadway that provides a link to Waco Regional Airport and an alternative route for China Spring traffic heading to Lake Shore Drive.
“Considering the hot weather we’ve had, the contractor did an excellent job keeping the project running smoothly,” Reed said. “The work was all city funded, and now we have pride of ownership the next 20 years.”
He said he is confident people involved in events at events at the Heart of Texas Soccer Association fields at 6101 Airport Road will applaud the project’s completion, as they will gain unfettered access to the fields and smoother, safer entrances and exits.
