The members of the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance extended its thanks to Congressman August Pfluger for helping secure additional federal funding for an overpass at the intersection of south Loop 338 and U.S. Highway 385, a press release stated.
James Beauchamp, President of the MOTRAN Alliance, stated in the press release: “There are around 18,000 cars that go through the current, at-grade intersection, each and everyday and lot of crashes that have occurred in and around that intersection. It is a safety issue. We genuinely appreciate Congressman Pfluger’s willingness to help with this item despite the concerns with the overall legislation. Pfluger’s efforts on this project will benefit our area for many years to come.”
The project funded is the overpass for the intersection of South Loop 338 and US 385 in Ector County. The project has a total cost of approximately $28.5 million.
Currently, there are $21 million in construction funds allocated to the project, along with $2 million in local funding from the City of Odessa and the Odessa Development Corporation. The $5 million in additional federal funding will be utilized by TXDOT to construct the overpass.
“This also helps in the process of developing Loop 338 out to more of a freeway design. That’s certainly been a priority for MOTRAN and I know it is something a lot of drivers in Odessa would like to see,” Beauchamp stated in the press release.
Beauchamp added in the press release: “The project was delayed due to part of the available funding being moved to fund the Yukon and SH 191 overpass, which came in above original estimates. The funding secured by Congressman Pfluger is important because it fully funds this project to get it back on track sooner rather than later and help make that area a whole lot safer. It is also timely, as having this overpass will provide a much safer reliever route along south Loop 338 in Odessa as interstate improvements begin on that segment of I-20.”
The funding request submitted by the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance in 2022 will go directly to TXDOT to be used for construction of the actual project and will help provide additional funding that frees up existing resources within the Midland-Odessa metropolitan boundaries.
