Those interested in widening Highway 21 to four lanes from near the Brazos-Madison County line to the west side of Madisonville are invited to an open house and public hearing Thursday in North Zulch.
The nearly 18 mile project includes a bypass south of North Zulch. That bypass would have the four lane go over the railroad and Zulch Road.
And the new highway is designed to have shoulders wide enough to handle bicyclists and pedestrians.
TxDOT is hosting an open house that starts Thursday at 4:30, followed by a public hearing at six at North Zulch high school.
Additional information from TxDOT:
Open house and public hearing at the North Zulch high school cafeteria, 11390 5th Street in North Zulch on Thursday, June 6. The open house starts at 4:30 p.m., followed by the public hearing at 6:00 p.m.
The purpose of the public hearing is to receive comments on the proposed improvements to SH 21 from 2.01 miles west of FM 2865 to Martin Luther King Jr. Street in Madison County. Staff will be on hand to answer questions during an open house period, followed by a formal presentation and public hearing. Comments must be received on or before June 21, 2019, to be a part of the official public hearing record.
The existing SH 21 consists of a two-lane undivided roadway with 12-foot wide travel lanes and 10-foot wide shoulders. The existing right of way (ROW) varies from 100 feet usual to 408 feet wide near the Navasota River.
The proposed 17.8-mile project would widen the current two-lane roadway to a four-lane divided roadway and construct a 3.2-mile long relief route on new location south of the community of North Zulch. Existing SH 21 through North Zulch would not be widened.
The proposed roadway would consist of two 12-foot wide travel lanes in each direction with a typical 68-foot wide grass median. Proposed shoulders would consist of a 4-foot wide inside shoulder and a 10-foot wide outside shoulder. Two grade-separated overpasses are proposed at FM 39/Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and at County Road 419 (Zulch Road). The proposed ROW width would typically increase by 144 feet for a typical total width of 244 feet. Proposed new shoulders would accommodate bicycle and pedestrian activity. The proposed project would require approximately 384 acres of additional ROW and would potentially displace five occupied residences, five abandoned residential structures, and nine sheds/out structures.