Upper Kirby Streetscape Initiatives

Before

Construction to begin this fall.

Look for weekly updates soon.

  November 7, 2014  

TxDOT Construction - US 59

TxDOT's US 59 frontage road reconstruction between Shepherd and 610 continued this week with intersection work at Greenbriar and Shepherd. The Buffalo Speedway intersection is complete and open to traffic two weeks ahead of schedule.

Primary efforts have not shifted to Greenbriar where there is a significant storm drainage component to the work. Crews will close Greenbriar to through traffic over the weekend and will also close the outbound frontage road between Greenbriar and Shepherd between 9:00 PM this evening and 5:00 AM Monday morning. During this time, they will be installing storm sewer improvements under US 59 and crossing the southbound frontage road.

Motorists on the feeder will be detoured right on Shepherd to Richmond, left on Richmond to Greenbriar and left on Greenbriar to US 59 where they can continue to the right. Motorists on Greenbriar will be forced right along the feeder where they can u-turn at Kirby to continue south on Greenbriar.

Look for weekly updates as this project progresses.   

Bissonnet Utility Relocation

Existing Pedestrian Realm on Bissonnet

Bissonnet Utility Relocation from Kirby to Buffalo continued this week with efforts toward the construction of parallel ducts along the north side of Bissonnet, one for telecommunications and one for Center Point electrical service. 

Crews have successfully completed installation of both electrical and telecommunications duct banks from just east of Wakeforest to Kirby Drive leaving only the Kirby intersection prior to being able to shift traffic control to the west.

During exploratory work required in preparation for the trench work along the curbside lane of Kirby Drive southbound, crews discovered an unmarked waterline. This line will need to be relocated in order to proceed with the final run of duct that will bring the new underground utilities south along Kirby approximately 100-feet to where they can switch back to overhead service.
The waterline was successfully addressed this allowing the contractor to begin boring and tunneling activities across Bissonnet from the northwest corner to the southwest corner.

The southbound, curbside lane along Kirby will be obstructed today, tomorrow and Monday to allow for this work. Crews will work between 7 AM and 7 PM and will plate and reopen this lane during off hours. 

Work also began this week installing duct through the Wakeforest intersection along the north side of the street. This work will be ongoing through next week and likely part of the following week. During this time, Wakeforest will be closed onto and off of Bissonnet from the south. Northbound movements on Wakeforest will be maintained.

The ducts installed during this phase of work will eventually house the overhead

Utility Work - Bissonnet at Kirby

lines currently running down Bissonnet. Once Center Point Energy and the telecommunications providers have switched service from overhead to underground and removed the wires and wooden poles, Upper Kirby will begin water, sanitary and storm improvements and roadway reconstruction. Like Kirby, Buffalo Speedway and Westheimer, this project will include a complete pedestrian-oriented streetscape and landscaping plan implemented and maintained in perpetuity by the Upper Kirby Management District. The roadway is not being widened and the existing esplanade is being maintained.

The utility phase of this project was bid in August and was awarded to Harper Brothers Construction. It is anticipated that, weather permitting, this work will take four to five months to complete. Like was the case on Westheimer, once underground facilities are in place they will be turned over to the utility companies to transfer overhead service to underground. The roadway reconstruction can begin once the utility companies have completed their work (typically around three months from completion of the duct installation). Once roadway work has begun, it will take 10 to 12 months to complete the project.

Look for further updates as the schedule progresses.

Concrete Framing at Dickey Place