Bailey Ranch Road renovation set to begin

The process to smooth out that bumpy ride down Bailey Ranch Road is set to begin — along with the inevitable complications that come from the renovation of a well-trafficked roadway.

The City of Aledo spent the earlier part of this year patching the western end of the road, but the area between FM 1187 and Champions Drive is due for a complete do-over.

The Aledo City Council awarded the construction project to Nu-Way Construction, LLC at an early December Council meeting.

The project is complicated by the fact that a housing development, major senior living center, fire station, businesses, Aledo High School and Daniel Ninth Grade Campus, and a preschool all utilize the roadway.

The $3.2 million project is set to begin on or around Monday, Jan. 23, and will be accomplished in phases over 10 months, plus construction of a new sidewalk on the south side once road construction is complete.

Phase one was originally anticipated to be a brief, full roadway shutdown between Champions and Creekview Terrace. However, that work will now be incorporated into Phase Two, which will require a shutdown of only the northern or westbound side of the roadway. Eastbound traffic on the south side will remain unaffected.

Phase two is estimated to take about six months and will include rebuilding the northern half of the roadway. During Phase Two, traffic will be eastbound only in order to ensure that the fire station’s emergency responders have quick, convenient access to FM 1187. This rebuild of the north side will include enough roadway surface to accommodate two-way traffic in later phases.

Phase three shifts to rebuilding the southern portion and will take about two months. There will be two-way traffic during phase three, allowing better access to the schools, neighborhoods, and businesses.

Phase four will also take about two months and will involve roadwork at the intersection of Champions and Point Vista Drives, rebuilding a quarter of the intersection at a time to minimize impacts.

Key features of the new roadway will include a narrowed, two-lane configuration; hatched or striped median; left-turn lanes at roadway intersections and major driveways; right-turn lane at schools’ eastern driveway; thicker 8-inch pavement with 8-inch lime subgrade; and a school crosswalk with high-visibility flashing beacon.

Aledo Mayor Nick Stanley recently said that the primary focus for the city this year on undertaking critical improvements to Aledo’s infrastructure has become even more pressing in light of the region’s recent dynamic growth.

For more information, visit aledotx.gov. Additional updates during the course of the project will be available through The Community News newspaper and website, and City of Aledo social media.

For specific questions about the project, call contact Aledo’s Director of Public Works Gary Enna at 817-441-7016 or email publicworksdirector@aledotx.gov.