It's one of the busiest side streets in Tyler and it's about to get a little more congested thanks to planned construction.

The City of Tyler announced that a partial road closure is coming to Old Bullard Road that will be affecting north bound traffic beginning Monday, April 22nd and lasting through late August. The portion that will be affected will be just south of Broadway Square Mall to Rice Road.

The closure is necessary in order to improve drainage structures on and under Old Bullard Road near Rice Road. The project will encompass the installation of additional box concrete culverts under the road as well as new drainage curb inlets to improve drainage within the area and between Taco Bueno and Southside Furniure.

The city released the following press release in regards to the project:

In 2011, a drainage study was performed for West Mud Creek Tributary M-3, which begins at Richmond Road just south of Loop 323, and then flows south under Rice Road, to South Broadway and then to West Mud Creek at Rieck Road. One of the priority areas identified for improvement in the study is the existing storm drain system on Old Bullard Road just north of Rice Road (at Taco Bueno and Southside Furniture). “The existing structures were put in place in the 1970’s prior to the City’s current drainage design standards and before most the current residential and commercial development in the area existed,” said Lisa Crossman, city engineer. Currently, there are two existing box culverts (5' x 3') under Old Bullard Road which are undersized to carry a 100-year storm and contribute to street flooding at this location. This project will add three additional box culverts (5’ x 3’) to the drainage crossing. “In the event of excessive flooding with the current undersized culverts, water across the road can become a safety hazard for drivers,” said Rea Boudreaux with Brannon Corp. “We hear and understand the concerns of businesses in the area and access to those businesses will remain open. This project is vital to the safety of drivers traveling this corridor every day.” Travelers can expect delays throughout the duration of the construction. Southbound traffic will remain open to one lane, having through access along Old Bullard while northbound traffic will be rerouted along Rice Road to Richmond Road to Timberwilde Drive (see map). Four electronic message boards will be installed starting Friday, April 5 to notify travelers of the upcoming construction. Additionally, the City notified residents and businesses affected in the area with a postcard. These new box culverts will be built in phases. During the first phase, the northbound and center lanes will be closed while the culverts are built under those lanes and southbound traffic will remain open. During the second phase, the southbound and center lanes will be closed while the culverts are built and southbound traffic will be moved over to the northbound lanes (because northbound traffic is being rerouted around the entire project location). All businesses affected will remain open and driveway access to businesses will be maintained during the full duration of the construction.

More information about this and other ongoing and future projects can be found online.