FROM:  The People of Johnson County, Texas

TO:  David M. Salazar, P.E., Alfred Luera, P.E., Hon. Kenny Howell - Johnson County Precinct 2 Commissioner, Texas State Rep. David Cook.

RE: Request for Emergency Intervention: Contractor Default and Unacceptable Surety Delays on the FM 731 Bridge Upgrade over Village Creek (Johnson County)

Dear District Engineer Salazar, Area Engineer Luera, Commissioner Howell, and Representative Cook,

I am writing on behalf of the residents, commuters, and business owners of Burleson,  Joshua, Egan, Keene and other rural communities regarding the compounding public safety and economic crisis on the FM 731 Bridge over Village Creek.

Following the original construction contractor's exit from the project, we have been informed that the project timeline is being significantly delayed because the TxDOT Contract Administration Guidelines require the default to clear the Surety Bond company's internal investigation before a takeover contractor is appointed. Historical TxDOT project data shows that this administrative stalemate and subsequent rebidding process routinely freezes critical infrastructure corridors for an additional 12 to 18 months.

According to TxDOT's official state project records under CSJ: 1094-04-010 (FM 731 at Village Creek, Structure #021270109404006), this specific crossing handles a state-certified baseline of 7,268 vehicles per day, including 5% heavy freight truck traffic.  Forcing over 7,000 vehicles a day through an un-enforced, single-lane bottleneck drastically skyrockets our local crash exposure rate per million Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). 

Furthermore, using Texas transportation economic standards, even a conservative 5-minute delay per vehicle translates to over $15,000 in wasted local economic time and idling fuel every single day. Over an 18-month delay, TxDOT is actively forcing our local community to absorb nearly $10 million in negative externalities while a private corporate surety provider conducts a slow-moving internal investigation.

We urgently request that TxDOT intervene immediately.  We demand that TxDOT exercise its legal authority to bypass standard administrative lags, invoke emergency procurement, or implement an alternative, fast-tracked delivery framework to get a qualified contractor back on-site at Village Creek immediately.  The baseline evaluation metrics must account for public safety and the Value of Time, not just a corporate insurance company’s bottom line.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this active threat to our community. We look forward to your prompt response and an expedited plan of action.

Sincerely,

The Citizens of Johnson County, Texas