texas

Midtown Express Contractor Corrects Confusing Lane Shift After NBC 5 Report

Company doing 183 project in Irving responds quickly to NBC 5 inquiry

A North Texas highway contractor took quick action Wednesday to improve a busy stretch of Texas 183 that prompted a safety concern.

NBC DFW contacted SouthGate Constructors, the lead contractor on the Midtown Express project — a 28-mile long construction zone that will ultimately increase traffic capacity along 183, SH 114 and Loop 12 — regarding a temporary lane shift that appeared, at best, to be confusing for drivers.

The lane shift is on the eastbound side of 183, between the south entrance to D/FW International Airport and the on-ramp for the President George Bush Turnpike.

As drivers approach a bridge for Valley View Lane, which crosses over 183, all four lanes immediately jog to the right to accommodate for the construction zone.

But it appeared that drivers consistently failed to properly negotiate the lane shift and, instead, continued straight in what would have been their lane of travel. That meant that they were crossing the solid white line into the lane on their left, possibly endangering the people in the vehicles around them.

NBC DFW sent a clip of video which documented the problem to SouthGate Constructors on Wednesday and, within a few hours, the company responded.

“Following your correspondence, our team evaluated this area and will be placing a solid white stripe tonight to assist with lane designation,” Selma Santin, Public Information Officer for SouthGate Constructors, wrote. “This area is an active work zone and lane designations can often change as part of ongoing construction operations to complete that part of the project.”

As of Thursday morning it is apparent that the solid white line has been extended perhaps 200 feet farther toward the west.

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