Ribbon Cutting Held for George Richey Extension

LONGVIEW — A ribbon cutting was held Monday to celebrate the opening of the new FM 2275/George Richey Road extension from McCann Road to U.S. 259 in Longview. TxDOT and its partners, the City of Longview, the Longview Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Longview Economic Development Corporation, and Gregg County hosted the event. According to information from TxDOT, the extension is designed to provide a much needed east/west thoroughfare that will ease congestion and improve safety from U.S. 259 westward to State Highway 300 in Longview. The project is being built in two phases. In spring 2014, construction began for the segment from U.S. 259 to McCann Road, which opened to traffic following the ribbon cutting.

Improvements to this east/west corridor include:
• Constructing a new four-lane roadway, curb and gutter with a flush median
• Adding a continuous left-turn lane to provide additional safety
• Incorporating a designated bicycle lane and sidewalks on the south side of the roadway

The construction cost for this segment is $12.8 million. Construction continues on the second phase from McCann Road westward to SH 300/Gilmer Road at a cost of $12.4 million and includes constructing two new bridges. The project contractor is East Texas Bridge, Inc.