LUFKIN – The Loop 500 construction project in Center continues to move toward completion despite recent weather and utility delays.

The $11.9 million project is slated for completion by late summer, according to Texas Department of Transportation officials. The project was awarded to James Construction Group with construction work beginningin late 2012. The current section of Loop 500 travels from U.S. 96 to State Highway 7.

“The contractor continues to work on the pavement structure and is scheduled to lay the final surface when the weather allows,” said Rhonda Oaks, public information officer for the Lufkin District. “The project is set to complete later this year with concrete work, signals and signs still yet to come. The completed project will serve East Texas well as another major roadway that will alleviate congestion and increase safety.”

The project includes a two-lane highway with shoulders and intersection crossings. While U.S. 96 serves as a hurricane evacuation route, it also serves U.S. 59 as a major north/south trucking route. According to TxDOT statistics, 25-percent of daily traffic in the area is related to the trucking industry.

The existing Loop 500 has seen completion in several phases from 1982 through 1985. After feasibility studies and right-of-way acquisitions, the latest section of Loop 500 was jointly funded by the City of Center, the Texas Transportation Commission and the Lufkin District of TxDOT.

Motorists should remember that traffic fines increase in a work zone while workers are present. Use caution and obey all traffic control devices.