HIGHLIGHTS
Collins Street Project Completed
The Collins Street project ( Park Row Drive to Pioneer Parkway ) was approved by Arlington voters as part of the $ 160 million Street Improvements Package in the 2014 Bond Election . This project began in February 2020 and consists of the following improvements :
• Full reconstruction of all seven lanes
• Installation of sidewalks with ADA compliant pedestrian ramps
• Street light improvements
• Pavement markings
• Storm drainage system improvements
• Traffic signal improvements at the Lovers Lane and Park Row Drive intersections
• Water and sanitary sewer infrastructure renewals
• Relocation of underground utilities
The City uses an annual pavement survey program to inventory the condition of all streets within the city limits . The condition of each street segment is reported using an Overall Condition Index ( OCI ) rating between 0-100 based on the “ ride ” and “ distress ” of the segment . Roads with a rating lower than 50 are designated as “ red streets ” and are recommended for inclusion in the City ’ s Capital Improvement Program . Roads with a rating between 50 and 70 are “ yellow ” streets and are included in the City ’ s Street Maintenance Program . Upon completion of construction this section of Collins Street upgraded it ’ s OCI to a perfect rating of 100 .
A New Way to Keep Ice Off Bridges is Being Developed in Arlington
When cold , wet weather strikes , icy bridges pose a danger to drivers . One University of Texas at Arlington professor and his team are working to make driving in the winter safer — by de-icing bridges .
Xinbao Yu , an associate professor of civil engineering , said that newer bridges are built in a way that already helps with de-icing . However , his team is studying how to apply geothermal technology to older bridges .
Yu and his team are proposing a technology to circulate thermal energy from the ground to the bridge deck . Even in the winter , the ground temperature is still close to 60 to 70 degrees , just as it would be in the summer , he said .
With this technology , bridges can stay above freezing temperatures and melt any snow that accumulates , he said . The warming temperatures are low enough that the heat won ’ t affect cars passing over the bridge .
With a $ 100,000 grant from the Texas Department of Transportation , Yu and his team are getting to conduct further testing , according to the university .
Yu hopes that eventually this kind of technology will be applied to existing bridges . The next step in his team ’ s research will be testing the technology on a real bridge .
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