TxDOT reveals plans to expand Highway 114

IRVING (CBSNewsTexas.com) “If you are one of the tens of thousands of people who rely on Highway 114 to get where you are going, we have good news for you.

State transportation officials have unveiled tentative plans to upgrade and widen the busy freeway.

Vinod Khedkar knows only too well how dangerous life can be near Highway 114.

Part of the brick wall that separates his house from the service road is still a pile of rubble from a car that recently crashed into his backyard.

This made life in his new home a lot more stressful.

That’s why Headcar and other homeowners on the south side of Irving’s Stonegate neighborhood were among those most interested in attending a meeting where TxDOT unveiled plans for a bigger and better freeway to connect Dallas and a number of growing Tarrant County suburbs.

The over-billion dollar project spans eight miles without requiring the purchase of any homes or businesses along the route.

“We were able to fit what we have into what we have, existing with minimal right-of-way acquisitions,” said Highway 114 project manager Nelson Underwood.

But Stonegate residents say it will widen the highway even closer than it is now to their homes.

“Knew it was only four feet from our backyard, which would increase noise and dust pollution,” said Irving resident Sobin Matthew. “We are with the project, the roads need to be expanded. But at the same time, they must take us into account. my room.”

Affected residents feel they should receive compensation, or at least additional protection from a road that has already proven too close for comfort.

“Honestly, I was literally upset when I heard that they want to expand, they want to increase traffic, because I saw this wall come down in my backyard,” Hedkar said.

With design plans, land acquisition, environmental studies and funding approvals, TxDOT says it will take five years before construction can begin on the project.