You are seeing work on the median on Hwy. 174 this month! The Hwy. 174 median improvement is a project of the Texas Department of Transportation and its contractor, Austin Bridge & Road. Two lanes will be open each way during the median work. The contractor will only work on one median intersection at a time. In May, the contractor began placing a seal coat on Hwy. 174. A seal coating provides a moisture barrier between the roadway and the final surface. This will help extend the life of the roadway. Toward the end of the project, the contractor will then place an asphalt overlay on the roadway to complete this process. TxDOT's median improvement project on Hwy. 174/Wilshire Boulevard in Burleson got underway in February 2013. The improvement area stretches from the Hwy. 174/I-35W split to Elk Drive. The project is expected to be complete by April 2014. Improvements include replacement of the center turn lane with a raised curb center median with turn lanes, an overlay of the existing pavement, and landscaping. The center median stops at Elk Drive, but the project overlay continues to FM 731/John Jones Drive. For questions about the Hwy. 174 Median Improvement Project, call Randy Bowers with the Texas Department of Transportation, at 817-202-2900.

Are you collecting receipts from Hwy. 174 businesses located between the I-35W/Hwy. 174 split and Elk Drive? The winner of the fourth prize drawing for the Shop on Wilshire Loyalty program is John Duke Smith. He won a gift certificate from Rachel's Hope Resale at 517 S.W. Wilshire Blvd. Economic Development Director Bradley Ford presented the check to John Duke and his wife Mary. Rachelle Houston, Peggy Harkins and Fran Burks were the first three winners. The businesses that have donated monthly prizes include Woolard's Jewelers, Flowers by Fran, Boulevard Salon and Spa, and Moretti's Gourmet Popcorn and Sweets. The Texas Department of Transportation is making median  improvements to Hwy. 174 between I-35W and Elk Drive. During the construction, the City encourages everyone to keep visiting your favorite Wilshire businesses in the improvement area as part of the City's Shop on Wilshire Loyalty program. Collect five separate receipts from businesses in the improvement area, then deliver or mail the receipts to city hall prior to the third Monday of the month. Receipts for the June 17 drawing must be dated May 1-31. The winner's name is drawn at the second city council meeting each month. Local Wilshire businesses donate prizes. Go to the Shop on Wilshire Loyalty page.

Check your mail to see if your home qualifies for a rebate for the installation of a Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV). This rebate program is for qualifying residents only. Tenant and commercial requests are not eligible. The home must have been built before 2000 in the Mountain Valley Pressure Plane or prior to 2007 in the Upper Pressure Plane, and, have a static water pressure of more than 80 psi. The City will not provide the PRV to customers, but the City will provide a rebate to qualifying customers who choose to have a PRV installed.  When the associated plumbing permit is dated prior to Dec.1, 2013, a rebate of $400 is available with an approved PRV rebate application. Residents can use an address search to find out if their home qualifies. Maps of qualifying locations are on the City website. Only PRVs that reduce pressure in the house, not the irrigation system exclusively, to 80 psi are eligible for the rebate. Read More