Drivers Urged to Avoid Part of Loop 323

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department and TxDOT are urging all drivers to avoid West Loop 323 from State Highway 155 south to West Front Street. This portion of the Loop is undergoing storm-related cleanup, and only one northbound lane of traffic was open at last report. According to TxDOT, a stray thunderstorm early Friday morning delivered heavy rainfall on freshly-shot seal coat, washing it away before it had a chance to cure, causing the rock to come loose. Police say all southbound lanes are open.

Motorists whose vehicles were damaged by this incident should contact Carol Stone with Big Creek Construction at (979) 200-9379. Meanwhile, TxDOT’s Larry Krantz urged motorists to be thinking about alternate routes for their evening trips, with the temporary repairs possibly remaining in progress into Friday night. “Our main goal is to get everything back open and up to proper safety standards,” Krantz said. “But we won’t be sacrificing safety for speed.”

Looking ahead, Big Creek Construction says it is planning to re-apply the seal coat during daylight operations when the weather allows, which will likely be early next week. That will mean additional lane closures, but only for one day while the work is in progress. “We’re hoping to have this done by Monday or Tuesday, but we’ve just been reminded, Mother Nature is in control of things for the moment,” Krantz said. “We’re going to be absolutely sure we have the conditions we need before go.” Crews have also been instructed not to begin setting lane closures before 9 a.m.

After the daytime work is completed, crews will resume nighttime operations, which call for work to be done between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday-Thursday. “There will obviously be some inconvenience involved in correcting this,” Krantz said. “To minimize that, we’re asking folks to seek an alternate route of they can.”