ABILENE, TX – On Thursday, April 1, elected officials and employees from the city of Taylor gathered to celebrate the completion of street reconstruction on West Third Street with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Participants included Mayor Brandt Rydell, Councilmember Michell Drummond (who represents District 2, where West Third street is located), City Manager Brian LaBorde, Deputy City Manager Jeff Jenkins and Public Works Director Jim Gray.
West Third Street is one of five streets included in a $13.1 million bond for infrastructure improvements that was approved by City Council in fiscal year 2019. The project, which is being overseen by HDR Engineering Inc. and Smith Contracting, was designed to improve safety, mobility and connectivity for five substandard streets W. Lake Drive, W. Third Street, N. Lynn Street, N. Robinson Street and Edmond Street.
Construction for the project began in July 2020. All five streets are expected to be completed by the summer of 2021. Work is now complete at W. Lake Drive and W. Third Street. Before construction started on each street, Taylor councilmembers and the project team gave a short presentation about the project and what residents could expect during construction. Property owners and residents within the project limits were invited to join the live events and ask questions. All meetings and pertinent information are posted on the city’s website at bit.ly/taylorstreetsproject.
Rydell said the West Third Street improvements mark substantial progress on a much-needed project in the city.
“The completion of the Third Street project represents another milestone in the city council’s ongoing commitment to address Taylor’s street and infrastructure needs. We appreciate the efforts of our partners at HDR and Smith Contracting in helping bring the Third Street and West Lake Drive improvements to fruition, and we look forward to the reconstruction of Lynn Street, Robinson Street, and Edmond Street being wrapped up later this year.”
