Crews start work Nov. 9 on a widening of US 259 in northern Nacogdoches County, and TxDOT doesn’t expect to be finished until fall 2031.
The project covers about 6.77 miles, from State Highway 204 north to the Rusk County line. Posillico Civil, Inc., an Austin-based contractor, is heading it up. Its crews begin by preparing the right-of-way on Monday, Nov. 9.
What gets built
The road picks up a 16-foot-wide continuous two-way left-turn lane down the middle and 10-foot-wide shoulders. The SH 204 intersection will be reconfigured and get a traffic signal. Right-turn lanes go in at FM 2664 and FM 1087.
TxDOT gives three reasons for the work: moving freight, a more efficient hurricane-evacuation route, and less congestion on that stretch.
What drivers should expect
Lane closures and changing traffic patterns, off and on, for the next five years. TxDOT asks drivers to slow down in and near the work zones and stay alert for workers and equipment moving around. Project schedules can also shift with the weather and with how quickly materials show up, so the dates may move.
Anyone who drives US 259 between Nacogdoches and the Rusk County line regularly will want to plan for it. Five years is a long run, and the first year of a job like this is the one where the traffic pattern keeps changing on you.
Where to follow it
Search “US 259 widening” at TxDOT.gov for additional information on the project. The department also keeps a Project Tracker that shows the status of its work, and real-time travel conditions are at DriveTexas.org or in the Drive Texas app.
Tim Monzingo is the public information officer for the TxDOT Lufkin District. He can be reached at timothy.monzingo@txdot.gov or 936-208-5651.
