The City took another step forward with the Transportation System Master Plan on Wednesday. The City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a $341,800 engineering contract with Kimberly-Horn and Associates, Inc. to design traffic signals and intersection improvements for five Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) projects at 16 intersections in Tyler. 

As part of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) 2020 HSIP call for projects, several projects for the City of Tyler were submitted and approved. The HSIP is a federal-aid reimbursement program with some costs paid for by TxDOT or the City, depending on what roadways the projects will affect. 

Federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation will pay for 90 percent of the construction costs and the City will pay the remaining 10 percent and 100 percent of the engineering, design and any construction cost overruns for traffic system improvement projects.  

• The North Broadway and West 26th Street crosswalks project will provide a sidewalk, curb ramp and crosswalk improvements to help improve pedestrian facilities at the intersection. 

• The New Copeland Road signal and crosswalk improvement project includes traffic signal improvements including vehicle detection upgrades, communications and pedestrian signals at the intersections of Shiloh Road, Rieck Road and Grande Boulevard along New Copeland Road. 

• The West Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard signal and crosswalk improvement project will provide signal upgrades at the intersections of West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Broadway Avenue and Palace Avenue. New curb ramps, pedestrian signals, vehicle detection and communications will be installed at North Broadway Avenue and communication upgrades installed at Palace Avenue.  

TxDOT will fund 10 percent of the construction costs for two signal improvement projects in the City with the U.S. Department of Transportation providing the remaining 90 percent from federal funding. 

• The South Broadway Avenue and Robert E Lee Drive signal improvement project includes the reconstruction of the traffic signal, pedestrian signals, pushbuttons, curb ramps and crosswalks. 

• The Gentry Parkway improvement project includes signal improvements and communication upgrades at nine intersections on the roadway at the cross streets of West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Parkdale Drive, Glenwood Boulevard, Ross Avenue, Palace Avenue, Broadway Avenue, Beckham Avenue, Hillsboro Street and East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Additionally, the traffic signals at intersections of Glenwood Boulevard, Hillsboro Street and East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be completely reconstructed. 

“This is a great opportunity to leverage dollars from the federal and state level to make the City's funds go further,” said Traffic Engineer Cameron Williams. “We’re projecting about $2.1 million in construction costs coming from the federal government and TxDOT to do these projects.” 

Construction along the Gentry Corridor, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South  Broadway Avenue is projected to begin in late 2022 while construction on the remaining projects is expected to begin in late 2023. 

The City of Tyler’s contributions will be funded through the Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 8, the City Council approved a resolution supporting the execution of the funding agreement with TxDOT for the five projects. The Half-Cent Sales Tax Board went on to approve the allocation of funds for the projects at the board’s regular monthly meeting on Sept. 14.