A construction zone at 19th and Avenue Q as seen in July 2024. Staff photo.
Drivers may have noticed a big change recently in the construction zone on 19th Street between University Avenue and Interstate 27, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
“We switched traffic right before the end of the year from the westbound lanes onto the eastbound lanes,” said Dianah Ascencio, TxDOT public information officer.
Now work on the water and sewer lines under the street can switch from one side of 19th to the other.
“It’s been a little bit slow though because of the cold weather,” Ascencio said.
Crews need a temperature of 50 degrees or more to lay concrete, she said. There’s more than a year of work to be done – with a completion date in the spring of 2026.
The re-paving of 19th Street has been one of the bigger and possibly more frustrating projects for motorists in Lubbock, because it included rebuilding the city’s utility lines under the street. The full project was between Memphis Avenue and Interstate 27. The western portion, up to University Avenue, is more or less done.
The next big set of road cones in Lubbock will be along University Avenue from 50th Street to the South Loop – with construction starting in June. But there are plenty more projects under construction or soon to start construction. See our detailed lists below for the status of projects affecting your daily drive.
Other TxDOT work in Lubbock
The widening of Woodrow Road in front of Lubbock Cooper High School continues, Ascencio said. Westbound lanes have been paved and driveways installed. There’s still some work to be done in that area on the other set of lanes. The full project goes from U.S. Highway 87 to Indiana Avenue, and it should be done by the fall of 2026.
A separate county project (not TxDOT) will extend the widening of Woodrow even further to the west to Slide Road with a scheduled completion date in late 2026 or early 2027.
TxDOT continues working on Loop 88 – the new freeway to the south and west of Lubbock. The current project goes from Avenue U to Chicago Avenue. Eventually it will extend further, connecting to U.S. 84 northwest and southeast of Lubbock.
“My project engineers are hopeful that the westbound frontage road will be open to traffic sometime this spring,” Ascencio said. Work continues installing bridges, traffic signals and turnarounds at the main intersections, she said.
They’re also working on driveways, curbs and gutters. Like 19th, the cold slows down the progress.
There will be some sealcoat projects in Lubbock County this summer but that schedule and list of locations have not been set.
Current TxDOT Projects
- 19th Street from Memphis Avenue to I-27 – Completed from University to Memphis; University to I-27 underway, completion spring next year.
- Woodrow Road, Hwy. 87 to Indiana Avenue – Under construction, completion fall next year.
- Loop 88 from Avenue U to Chicago – Under construction, completion summer or fall next year.
- Upland Avenue from 82nd Street to Marsha Sharp Freeway – Under construction, completion late summer of this year.
- Yucca Lane bridge (and ramps) at I-27 – Under construction, completion date summer next year.
City will set up road cones too
In some ways, rebuilding University Avenue from 50th Street to South Loop 289 will be an easy project. The city will not purchase right-of-way and there are no major utility lines to be moved or rearranged.
“That will be basically a mill and re-lay,” said John Turpin, city engineer.
Crews will scrape away the current asphalt and put down new asphalt. If there are any areas where the underlying roadbed is worn out or damaged, those areas will be repaired.
It’ll take about a year and a half to get done.
Another high-profile project for the city is Broadway from Avenue Q to Avenue E. It’s a bit more complicated because all the utilities under Broadway – old pipes made of cast iron and vitrified clay – must be rehabbed or reconstructed, Turpin said.
“We don’t want utilities breaking underneath our brand-new road,” Turpin said.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you’ll keep driving on the Broadway bricks for a while. Construction to replace this section of Broadway with concrete starts in July 2026 and wraps up about two years later.
Previous coverage: Debate on Lubbock’s $100 million road bond project already focusing on Broadway bricks, challenged by supply, cost issues
Previous coverage: Bye, bye (some) Broadway bricks, committee recommends as part of reduced proposed Lubbock road bond
Modern brick pavers will be used at the intersections. Crews will try to preserve as many of the current historic bricks possible.
Below you’ll find projects from the 2022 road bond, the 2024 road bond, and a couple other special projects.
2022 Roadway Bond Projects
- 34th Street, Slide to Quaker Avenue – done.
- 34th Street, Avenue Q to I-27 – done.
- 98th Street, Alcove to Upland avenues – nearly finished, anticipated completion in June.
- Dunbar/Manhattan Heights – Water line replacement underway, construction starts this year.
- 146th Street, Quaker to Indiana avenues – Under construction, about 50 percent done.
- Upland Avenue, 34th to 50th streets – Buying right-of-way, construction starts this year.
- Milwaukee Avenue, 4th Street to north city limits – Right of way nearly complete, utility relocation underway, construction starts this year.
- 34th Street, Upland to Milwaukee avenues – Buying right-of-way; construction starts this year.
- Residential unpaved roads – All seven projects (in North and Southeast Lubbock) expected to start construction this year.
- 66th Street, Alcove to Upland avenues – In design; construction starts 2027.
- Upland Avenue, 19th to 34th streets – Buying right-of-way and moving utility lines; construction starts this year.
- 114th Street, Frankford Avenue to Slide Road – Buying right-of-way; construction starts this year.
- Upland Avenue, 50th to 66th streets – Engineering and design complete; construction starts next year.
- Upland Avenue, 4th to 19th streets – Buying right-of-way and moving utilities; construction starts this year.
- 82nd Street, MLK Jr. Boulevard to I-27 – Engineering and design underway; construction starts next year.
- MLK Jr. Boulevard., 74th to 82nd streets – Engineering and design underway; construction starts next year.
- 114th Street, Indiana to University avenues – Construction starts in 2027.
2024 Roadway Bond Projects
- Broadway, Avenue Q to Avenue E – Engineering and design work underway while also locating old utility lines needing repair or replacement; construction scheduled to start July 2026. It should be finished by July 2028.
- University Avenue, 50th Street to South Loop 289 – Engineering and design underway; construction starts in June and done by the end of next year.
- Avenue P, 130th to 146th streets – Engineering and design start in February; construction starts in August of next year and done by October 2027.
- Upland Avenue, 98th to 114th streets – Engineering, design and purchasing right-of-way underway; construction starts in January 2027 and done by spring of 2028.
- 146th Street, University Avenue to Avenue P – Engineering and design start in February; construction starts in January 2027 and done by March 2028.
- 146th Street, Slide Road to Quaker Avenue – Engineering and design start in February; construction starts in January 2028 and done spring of 2029.
- 34th Street, Upland to Alcove avenues – Engineering and design start in October; construction starts in January 2029 and done spring of 2030.
Other city projects
- Quaker Avenue from 146th Street to Woodrow Road – Nearly finished but some work at the intersections still to be done. (Developer’s agreement with the city.)
- East 19th from East Loop to Leprino Foods – Finished.
- East 19th from East Loop 289 to Keel Avenue (inside the Loop) – Construction underway with completion scheduled for February.
- 66th Street from I-27 to Ash Avenue – Under consideration between the city and a developer. Project not underway yet.
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