The public is invited to attend the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Amarillo District public meeting, with virtual and in-person options, which is being held to share information and gather input from the public regarding proposed ADA upgrades on BI-40 from Southwest 9th Avenue to Hughes Street in Amarillo.
It will be held in two segments, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 at the Amarillo College West Lecture Hall at 622 Southwest 9th in Amarillo.
The virtual option will be available online at https://www.txdot.gov/projects/hearings-meetings/amarillo/2026/bi-40-pedestrian-improvements-050726.html .
“Whether input is negative or positive, we want to hear it,” said Jason Britsch, TxDot Public Information Officer. “We want to hear from people who navigate the area, whether it be drivers, pedestrians or bicyclists.”
The proposed improvements go from BI-40 (Amarillo Boulevard) at 9th Avenue all the way to Hughes Street, according to TxDOT information.
A brief presentation will take place within the first half hour of each public meeting, according to Britsch, and both meetings will contain the same information.
“The public will have the opportunity to ask questions of the technical staff who are involved in the design process, so it’s a great and rare opportunity to hear input from people that could be affected by this project,” Britsch said.
“People can give suggestions on what they’d like to see because they are the boots on the ground, and they are the ones affected by the process.”
What are the proposals of the project?
Some of the construction proposals include lighting improvements such as high mast lighting at the Southwest Avenue intersection of BI-40, as well as upgrading lights to LED lighting throughout the project limits.
“One of the proposals includes taking down the pedestrian bridge on BI-40 and converting some of the two-way frontage road,” Britsch said. “Another one is removing some crossovers and installing RCUTS (Reduced Conflict U-Turn Interaction), along with installing an overlay or repaving of that roadway, along with a lot of ADA safety improvements.”
Along with all that will be some more lighted signal installations along the way, according to Britsch.
Although those are some of the highlights, there will be more details from the technical staff, who can explain the proposals to those attending the meetings.
If people have questions or comments
Project elements include the construction of a shared-use paths (SUP) to enhance pedestrian accessibility along the corridor.
Pedestrian upgrades will be made at the traffic signal at Western Street and Ranch-to-Market (RM) 1061, and a full traffic signal upgrade will be completed at the intersection of Ninth Street and McMasters Street.
Any environmental documentation or studies, any maps and drawings showing the project location and design, tentative construction schedules, and other information regarding the proposed project are on file and available for inspection.
They can be viewed Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 5715 Canyon Dr. in Amarillo.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: What do you want to see on Amarillo Boulevard? TxDOT asks
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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