MIDLAND After discussions with the City of Midland, the Texas Department of Transportation has decided to close the Todd Drive crossover on Loop 250 and add auxiliary lanes in the area in the interest of safety.
The work, which also includes some road rehabilitation, will be done in three phases. The three phases should take about three months to be completed.
Jones Brothers Dirt & Paving of Odessa is doing the work as part of the contract for the construction of the recently completed overpass on Loop 250 at County Road 1140. The work near Todd Road has an estimated cost of $2.4 million.
The first phase starts Thursday. The first phase will rehabilitate both frontage roads between Fairgrounds Road and County Road 1150. The second phase will rehabilitate the eastbound Fairgrounds Road exit ramp.
The third phase will obliterate the Todd Drive crossover of Loop 250 and add auxiliary lanes in the area. Making northbound Todd Drive a right-out-only intersection eliminates conflict points and improves safety. Adding auxiliary lanes offers more room for traffic to merge and/or weave and improves safety.
Once the crossover is closed, northbound Todd Drive motorists wanting to go west will have to go east on the service road for about a mile before using the U-turn under the County Road 1150 overpass to return west.
Todd Drive is frequently referred to as Todd Road and is also known as County Road 1160.
The new route will add about five minutes on a commute. TxDOT appreciates the patience of the traveling public. We realize this inconvenience places a burden on the traveling public, but the improvements make a real safety improvement. This decision was made with input from the City of Midland staff.
A Loop 250 overpass at Todd Drive is in the planning stages. Construction funding is not yet identified, so no timeline is available right now. The Permian Basin Metropolitan Planning Organization has listed the project as a priority, as has the City of Midland. The City of Midland has hired a consultant to begin developing plans for the overpass.
The City of Midland is also working on a project of their own to extend Todd Drive north of Loop 250.
