Officials, community leaders and contractors gathered last Wednesday, Nov. 6th at the Leon Grayson Center on Corpus Christi Street, for a ceremonial groundbreaking to mark the beginning of a three-year project to reconstruct Freeport Street, and the storm sewer system along the street and to either side.
According to Pct. 2 Commissioner Jack Morman, this project will cost $12.8 million dollars. The money is coming from the federal government, he said, as reimbursement for flooding damage after Hurricane Ike in 2008. The money will primarily be used to build new storm drainage that will alleviate future flooding. At the same time, this gives an opportunity to reconstruct pavement along Freeport Street, resulting in a modern 3-lane road from I-10 to Holly Park Drive, with curbs and sidewalks that are not there now.
Morman said that Freeport will also get new sewers and paving from Woodforest to Uvalde, but will not be totally rebuilt in that section. However, the Cloverleaf area will receive new overlay asphalt paving on selected streets. This work is part of the Pct. 2 BetterStreets 2 Neighborhoods program that Morman is conducting throughout the precinct.
Engineers for the street and sewer work are R. G. Miller Engineers, and Dannenbaum Engineering Corp. Contractor for the work is Allgood Construction Co. Inc. County Engineer is Art Storey Jr., HCCSD Director is David B. Turkel, Pct. 2 Engineer is Jeremy Phillips.
Funding for the project is from the Texas General Land Office, and U.S. HUD. Completion is expected by 2016, according to Morman.