TxDOT Considering Big Changes to US 77

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is conducting a feasibility study concerning possible changes to US 77 in the La Grange area. TxDOT will hold an open house in La Grange next Thursday to inform the public about the study.

TxDOT placed a notice in the Record on June 16 inviting the public to the open house, which takes place on June 29 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the VFW Hall in La Grange (500 Veterans Memorial Dr.).

“Goals of the feasibility study include reducing truckrelated crashes and improving mobility for local and through traffic,” the notice said. “Tx-DOT is hosting an open house to share safety and environmental data and promote community engagement in developing potential solutions for the corridor.”

The notice did not describe any possible solutions that Tx-DOT is considering. Fayette County Judge Dan Mueller told the Record this week that he, along with several other local leaders, attended a preliminary meeting over the study about six weeks ago. Mueller said TxDOT discussed the possibility of rerouting US 77 to avoid the Bluff south of La Grange, the scene of many 18-wheeler crashes.

“They wanted to find out our thoughts on their possible attempts to reroute traffic on the Bluff,” Mueller said.

Mueller said he supported the idea of keeping 18-wheelers away from the Bluff.

“That appeals to me immensely,” Mueller said. “I would love to have a situation where 18 wheelers are no longer coming up and down the Bluff. That road was not designed for those huge trucks.”

Mueller said that according to the information TxDOT presented at the meeting six weeks ago, the current US 77 roadway would remain open as an alternative route for noncommercial traffic.

Mueller said TxDOT asked local leaders whether the public would oppose such a plan.

“I don’t think they would find much opposition to that,” Mueller said.

Mueller said he did not know details about the plan, such as where the new route would be located.

Local leaders have lobbied the state in recent years for a truck bypass around the Bluff. State Senator Lois Kolkhorst filed a bill in 2021 that would have authorized local officials to prohibit commercial truck traffic on the Bluff. Trucks would have had to take the route through Hostyn via FM 609 and FM 2436. Mueller’s predecessor, former County Judge Joe Weber, testified in favor of the bill before the Senate Transportation Committee. The bill applied only to Fayette County, so it didn’t attract much attention from other lawmakers in the state. The bill languished in committee and never made it to the Governor’s desk.

The idea to reroute US 77 in the La Grange area goes back even farther in time.

“This route was talked about 40 years ago, coming out where (La Grange) Mc-Donald’s is now,” Mueller said. “Whether that’s the route they choose (this time), I don’t know.”

TxDOT will also hold an online virtual open house from June 29 through July 14. Anyone interested can go to www. txdot.gov and search for “US 77 La Grange.” Click the link to the page for the Feasibility Study. TxDOT will post its planning documents to the page on June 29. The public may review the documents and leave comments.