U.S. 83 relief route project nearing completion

LA JOYA, Texas (ValleyCentral) – The Texas Department of Transportation is about one year away from completing its U.S 83 Relief Route Project which has been under construction since 2018.

The project stretches 9 miles through Penitas and La Joya, making this the second-largest construction project in the valley. Costing nearly $200 million, the relief project is being laid out in three phases.

• Phase 1: Frontage Roads 0.85 miles East of El Faro Rd. to FM 2221
• Phase 2: Frontage Roads and Main Lanes from FM 2221 to 0.28 Miles West of Showers Rd.
• Phase 3: Maine lanes 0.85 Miles East of El Faro Rd. to FM 2221

Daniel Garcia, Director of Contraction TXDOT Pharr Division tells ValleyCentral that before this project was put in place, La Joya had seen congestion through the highway.

“The whole premise of it is to provide one freeway facility,” Garcia said. “You know in this area there are multiple traffic signals so sometimes that adds to congestion, so the premise of that project is to relieve that congestion.”  

Garcia adds the ongoing construction of the director connectors, will cause traffic switches. But TxDOT does not anticipate any major impact on traffic coming through the area.

“There is going to be some traffic switches primarily where you have the direct connectors,” Garcia said. “Between the direct connectors, traffic for the most part should stay relatively the same. We encourage the public just to stay informed.”  

Structures that will be added to the relief project include the following:

• One wildlife crossing
• 4 director connectors
• Frontage road and main lane bridges over La Joya Lake
• Main lane overpasses at FM 2221, Tom Gill Rd. and Liberty Blvd.
• Frontage road and main lane bridges over irrigation crossing

TXDOT estimates this project will be complete by Spring 2023. In the meantime, drivers are still being urged to use caution while driving through construction zones.