Jack Highberger

Construction Delays on SH 26 Put Pressure on Colleyville Businesses

A massive project to widen State Highway 26 in Colleyville won’t be finished until 2020, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

The project, which began in 2016 and was supposed to be done this year, has faced substantial criticism from business owners who say it has hurt revenue and was poorly planned.

"I can't tell you how many (businesses) have gone under but at least close to 20," business owner Lisa Pritchett said.

Pritchett estimates revenue at her floral shop, Lilium Florals, has decreased by about 20% every year since the project began.

According to a TxDOT statement sent to NBC 5, "weather and utility delays" have slowed the contractor's progress but it is "making progress now."

Originally, phase three of the project which included the completion of the road surface, was set for June 2019 but now according to Colleyville Mayor Richard Newton, that part of the project will not be done until December. With phase four, the final phase, not expected to be completed until sometime in the spring of 2020.

"What's frustrating to me is we can't get any detailed information," Newton said of his discussions with TxDOT. "Our (city) engineering staff sees no reason this couldn't be completed by the end of the year, I'll hold out hope they'll beat the schedule they are telling us."

The City of Colleyville has offered business owners rebates and access to grants, which Pritchett says have been helpful.

"The city has been really good to try to increase traffic, to give us rebates," she said. "I think the city needs to push harder to get answers from TxDOT because they have really not given much information at all."

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