City of Waco's 18th Street utility project set for completion in September

WACO, Texas — Driving down North 18^th Street, Central Texans might feel bumpy roads, and see countless traffic cones — it's all a part of the city's plan to repair utilities, and change some underground infrastructure in the area.

• Cones and dug up roadway from Bosque Boulevard to Waco Drive are a part of the 18^th Street Utility Project.
• The city is working to repair utilities before paving a new road.
• In addition to a new paved road, we’ll see sidewalks, and a bike lane.
• Waco’s increasing population plays a huge part in changing the city’s infrastructure.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

“How often do you take 18^th Street?", asked 25 News reporter, Dominique Leh.

"Pretty much every day — and every day is different,” Andy Crapps said.

Andy Crapps lives on Sanger Avenue near Downtown Waco, and he drives down 18^th Street more times than he’d like, and that’s because of the ever changing construction.

“You've definitely got to keep your head on a swivel, because it’ll be one day all the cones are lined up and they’re digging up the other side of the road, and the next day they’re digging up the other side of the road,” Crapps said.

Those cones and dug up roadway from Bosque Bouelvard to Waco Drive are a part of the 18^th street utility project.

It's all a part of the city's plan to repair utilities, and change some underground infrastructure in the area.

"They’re going to try to repair the entire surface of the road," Jessica Emmett Sellers said.

"The idea behind doing the utility work at the same time, is we won’t have to go into the brand new road and do repairs."

In addition to a new paved road, there will be sidewalks and a bike lane.

“How often are you riding your bike down this area?", Leh asked.

Every day!”, Johnny Del Barchers said.

Del Barchers avoids going down 18^th Street because he thinks it’s dangerous, but he says with a bike lane, that could change.

“It’ll be safer,” Del Barchers said.

Emmett Sellers is with the City of Waco, and says that their increasing population plays a huge part in changing the city’s infrastructure.

“Everybody that’s moving to town needs to have water, needs to have sewer, it needs to have utilities — so that’s kind of part of the progress,” Emmett Sellers said.

Some of that growth will come in the form of a pocket neighborhood that will sit in this lot — the whole project started last spring and is set to be complete this coming September.