The event was held at mile marker 361, at the southwest corner of I-20 and SH 16. Speakers included Eastland County Judge Rex Fields, Former Representative Jim Keffer, TxDOT Chief Engineer Bill Hale, and Brownwood District Engineer Elias Rmeili. The ceremonial ribbon was cut by Keffer and Fields.
The three-mile-long project was completed by Zachry Construction Corporation and is located on I-20 in Eastland County, approximately 3.5 miles east of Loop 254 to 0.5 miles east of SH 16. The $80-million reconstruction and realignment project was designed and constructed to improve safety and mobility.
Major improvements include:
- A more gradual slope of 3.5 percent (previously 6 percent) and an approximate 1-degree curve
- Three westbound main lanes allow large trucks to use the outside lane for climbing without impeding smaller vehicles traveling at faster speeds
- Two eastbound lanes with an available lane for future expansion
- Wide inside and outside shoulders provide refuge for stranded or stalled vehicles
- Continuous two-way frontage roads improve access and incident response capabilities throughout the length of the project
Reconstruction involved 2 million cubic yards of embankment, 1.6 million cubic yards of excavation, over 50 explosive blasts to fracture rock for excavation and crushing, and repurposing crushed rock as embankment. The newly constructed main lanes have been constructed approximately 500 feet from where the original main lanes had been.
