The Arlington City Council has approved an advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for construction of a Texas U-Turn for westbound to eastbound Interstate Highway 20 (IH-20) at Bowen Road in the amount of $43,112.

This agreement was approved at the evening City Council meeting on Tuesday, December 15, 2015.

Prior to this agreement, on September 1, 2015, the Arlington City Council approved an Engineering Services contract in the amount of $436,594 with AECOM Technical Services, Inc., of Fort Worth for the design of New York Avenue realignment and connection to State Highway SH 360, along with the ;design of a Texas U-Turn at the intersection of IH-20 and Bowen Road.

"The Texas U-turn will allow westbound drivers to access businesses on the south side of I-20 without having to go through the signalized intersection,"said David Wynn, Assistant Director/City Engineer with Public Works and Transportation. "This project will reduce the traffic going through the signals and allow the intersection to function more efficiently."

The 2014 Bond Election included funding for design and construction of a Texas U-Turn at the intersection of IH-20 and Bowen Road. However, because the project is in the right-of-way for IH-20 it will be designed to TxDOT standards and the construction will be managed and inspected by TxDOT.

This project is part of the City Council's priority to Enhance Regional Mobility and a commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Arlington's transportation.