The project was scheduled to end in December 2023, but five months later it is still not complete.
HURST, Texas — Stephen Riley, owner of A&B Muffler, said nearly two years of construction work on Pipeline Road in front of his Hearst store felt like an eternity.
“There’s a constant noise, dust, constant traffic problems coming in and out of the business,” Riley said. “What happens is they start, they finish, and then they come back two weeks later and dig everything up again.”
Grumpy PC owner Devon Gladney feels the same way at the adjacent shopping complex.
“Taxes are going up, revenue is going down, and there’s no end in sight,” Gladney said.
They are two different business owners with one common problem.
“Business is at its lowest point because people don’t want to come through here because of the construction,” Gladney said.
This project is Phase 3 of a four-part project to completely renovate the pipeline thoroughfare that runs through the City of Hearst.
“You should actually go slow because there are two lanes,” Riley said. “But people are running faster, so it’s dangerous.”
Work on the $5.6 million project began in early 2022. Improvements include road widening, improvements to storm, water and sewer pipes, and the addition of a median and sidewalk from the Lorient Branch Bridge to Harrison Lane.
It was scheduled to end in December 2023, but five months later it still hasn’t been completed.
“We understand their frustration,” said Kara McKinney, Hearst city spokeswoman. “We deal with a variety of utilities, contractors and subcontractors. This is definitely a team effort and there are delays.”
But the city promises an end is in sight.
“They said it was the end of May, but I doubt it,” Riley said.
The city told WFAA that the outlook is until the end of June before any further holdups occur. And companies continue to hope that’s the case, especially when it comes to profits.
