SPRING DELAYS
Possible underground spring snags highway construction in Rusk
BY LELAND ACKER

Traffic slows for construction along U.S. Highway 69 in Rusk, as the top layer of pavement was removed from the outside southbound lane of the road. Work on U.S. 69 has halted due to the presence of water beneath the pavement.

Southbound drivers along U.S. Highway 69 in Rusk will have to be patient with the stalled road construction until the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) can figure out how to solve a water problem which is hampering repair efforts. Larry Krantz, public information officer for TxDOT's Tyler district, said crews working on U.S. 69 in Rusk discovered water oozing out from underneath the pavement as crews were attempting to repair the road base.

"It's been really wet for the past couple of weeks," he said. "We're looking at the design and trying to figure out how to mitigate the water under the pavement."

Mr. Krantz said he believes the water may be coming from an underground spring.

"It was just a wet, low spot, like there is a spring there," he said. "It's not a conducive situation to opening the outside southbound lane to traffic. It's stalled out until we figure out what to do, which I believe we're very close to doing."

Mr. Krantz said TxDOT's funding issues will not prevent the U.S. 69 project in Rusk from being completed, but added that funding becomes a concern when unplanned problems arise in construction.

"In the end, the right thing will be done," he said. "Hopefully, people will bear with us until then."

TxDOT's plan for U.S. 69 in Rusk is to repair the road base for the outside lanes, then cover the highway with a hot mix of asphalt.