On Thursday, about 40 or so homeowners from the High Meadow neighborhood came to the offices of LBJ Express to protest the intrusive construction noise happening as late as 2 a.m. as part of the massive reconstruction of LBJ Freeway.
The 635 Construction High Meadow/Farmers Branch Action Group, although it lies well outside the Preston Hollow area, has posted reports on its Facebook page showing large beams of light shining through residential windows in the middle of the night along with the sound of drilling outside.
“We take every homeowner complaint seriously,” says Heather DeLapp, the public relations manager for LBJ Express. “We have opened an investigation and are working with each homeowner to address their specific complaints.”
DeLapp says that work has to be done 24/7 to minimize impact to the 250,000 drivers who pass through the corridor every day. It’s also the only way the project will be complete by the five-year goal. Otherwise, “it would have taken 15 years to build,” she says.
The first phase of the $2.7 billion project was finished in December, marked by the opening of the new TEXpress managed toll lanes. The project has a little more than two years left. (Find more of our previous coverage here: 24 years in the making, LBJ Express will soon break ground)
The LBJ Express has, no doubt, been a headache for those living along the freeway, and this certainly isn’t the first time people have rallied against it. Recently, the High Meadow group began demanding the contract company pay for damage to their homes, which the residents believe to be a direct result of the construction.
You can read the full response from LBJ Express here:
[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]We take every homeowner complaint seriously. We have opened an investigation and are working with each homeowner to address their specific complaints. To that end, we have asked the homeowners to provide us with documentation of their complaints so that they can be thoroughly analyzed. We are currently waiting to receive this information from the homeowners so that our investigation can proceed.We strive to mitigate the impact of construction activities in residential areas, but with a project of this size, it is unavoidable that some individuals will be inconvenienced during construction. The homeowners have demanded cessation of nighttime construction. However, certain construction activities must occur during night hours in order to comply with our contractual obligations to the State of Texas and minimize disruption to the more than 250,000 vehicles that pass through the corridor each day.
Reconstruction of the LBJ Freeway is one of the largest highway projects in the world. It is in a highly congested corridor surrounded by a large amount of businesses and residents that create unique challenges. The unique delivery method of this project has allowed construction to proceed efficiently in order to allow complete reconstruction of the LBJ Freeway for the people of the State of Texas by late 2015, nearly a decade faster than would have been possible under a more traditional construction method.
The LBJ Freeway was built in 1969 and with no significant upgrades since then, it is now the second most congested highway in the State of Texas. Reconstruction is both needed and over-due. We are confident that the new LBJ Freeway will provide a better experience for drivers, businesses and residents alike once construction is complete. [/quote]
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Heather DeLapp’s name.
