Local News
John King interchange work set to begin in March
By Jim Hardin
Herald-Banner Staff
The construction project that will involve linking the new John King Boulevard under Interstate 30 is on schedule to begin in March.
County Commissioner Lorie Grinnan provided an update on the John King Boulevard project during Tuesday’s meeting of the Rockwall County Commissioners Court. She also brought commissioners up-to-date on Phase 1 of the Farm to Market 740 widening project, which also is scheduled to begin in March.
She elaborated on both projects after the meeting.
Grinnan said a pre-construction meeting for the John King Boulevard project was held recently. She attended the meeting, Grinnan said, along with Rockwall City Engineer Chuck Todd and representatives of the Texas Department of Transportation, the construction company and subcontractors.
Initial work, she said, will involve Atmos Energy relocating gas lines in the construction area. She added that officials still need to acquire some right of way for frontage roads that will be widened near the interchange
The project will link John King Boulevard, a 7.5-mile highway that stretches from Texas 205 south of Rockwall to Texas 205 north of the city. The new highway, however, does not cross I-30. During construction, I-30 will be elevated and the final portion of John King Boulevard will be constructed under the interstate.
The contract was awarded to Ed Bell Construction Co. of Dallas. Bell’s bid was about $19.6 million, which was below the estimated cost of about $23.8 million.
According to information provided late last year by TxDOT, the City of Rockwall will provide $186,121, Rockwall County will provide about $4.5 million and the balance will be provided by North Central Texas Council of Governments.
The City of Rockwall’s portion will cover landscaping, aesthetics and sidewalks.
The project is scheduled to be completed in 18-24 months.
The FM 740 project calls for widening the busy road from its current two lanes to a divided four-lane urban roadway. Utility relocation work is under way on Phase 1 of the project.
Part of the utility relocation work involves water and sewer lines. The contract for this work was awarded by the city of Rockwall. Soon, the City of Heath will award a contract for similar work along the portion of FM 740 located in that city’s jurisdiction.
Phase 1, considered to be the “northern” part of the project, is a 2.4-mile stretch that extends south from Horizon Road (FM 3097) in Rockwall to a T-intersection at FM 1140 in front of Fulton Academy in Heath.
Phase II — the “southern” phase — will involve continuing the widening project past Rockwall-Heath High School.
A $12.3 million contract for Phase 1 construction also has been awarded to Ed Bell Construction Co. Phase 1 construction is expected to take 24 months to complete.
State and federal funds will pay for Phase I construction.
- Local News
-
-
Circus making stop in Royse City
The 2010 edition of the Kelly Miller Circus is preparing to make its annual stop in Royse City. The traveling performers will pull onto the circus grounds at 7:30 a.m. and begin the transformation into a full performance venue.
-
Rockwall Idol finals this Friday
The Rockwall Idol Preliminaries are now over. The annual Soroptimist WomenAid fundraiser will be held on Friday at 6:30 p.m. At that time, the fourth Rockwall Idol will be named.
-
School incident leads to attempted kidnapping charge
Proceedings are under way to have a 35-year-old Mesquite man extradited to Rockwall County to face an attempted kidnapping charge that stems from an incident last week at Dorothy Smith Pullen Elementary School.
-
Harbor leasing company files for reorganization
Mariah Bay Leasing Company, which administrates the leasing of retail space at The Harbor, has filed for Chapter 11.
-
Three cities have contested races in May 8 local elections
The cities of Rockwall, Royse City and Fate are the only Rockwall County governmental entities with contested races in the May 8 local elections.
-
Rockwall resident dies in Florida diving accident
A Texas man died while diving off of Key Largo in Florida.
-
Water service terminated over dispute involving trash collection charges
An ongoing dispute with the City of Fate over charges for trash collection services has left Michael Drayovitch Jr. without water to his home since Jan. 26.
-
Ed and Karen Miller — A Love Story
For Ed and Karen, it was love at first sight. The only problem was that they were on a double-date, and they weren’t paired with one another.
-
Big sales tax gains for City of Rockwall
The City of Rockwall started 2010 by reporting big gains in sales tax rebate revenue for the month and for the year so far, while other cities in the county recorded mixed results, according to a report released Wednesday by the Texas Comptroller’s office.
-
Trial date set in marijuana, money laundering case
A trial date has been scheduled for one of four Ohio residents, charged with marijuana possession and money laundering.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Circus making stop in Royse City


