AMARILLO, TEXAS -- The Grand Street bridge has been under construction all summer long, but an announcement by the Texas Department of Tranportation has drivers excited.
TxDOT invited the public out for a ceremony today, opening up the overpass at grand and South East 3rd Avenue, simulatneously tearing down the crossing railroad intersection. The move will make traffic move easier, which will help official medical personnel get to accidents quicker.
"Trains back up traffic, they slow down our first responders,"Amarillo Mayor Paul Harpole said. "Until just recently, emergency vehicles could have to go as much as three miles out of their way to respond to life threatening situations if the train was stopped on the tracks. No more."
Todays event included speakers such as Harpole, and Representative Ford Price. TxDot believes the overpass will not only help drivers be safer, but get them to their destinations much quicker.
"In addition to lessening congestion, it'll provide free public acces over the BNSF railroad tracks here at Grand Street and 3rd," said Harpole. "The completion of this project is a victory for safety and for citizens, and for anyone traveling on this stretch in Amarillo Texas."
Complete construction on the bridge won't be completed however, for another couple months.
