Welcome back to the graveyard of progress, Lubbock. After three years of staring at concrete pillars that did nothing but provide shade for confused tumbleweeds, TxDOT has finally decided to finish the U.S. 87/FM 41 overpass. You know, the project that was supposed to be wrapped up in 2024 but is now aiming for “late 2027”? Because why do something on time when you can spend half a decade in a courtroom instead?
This project currently has more lawsuits than Lubbock has dust storms. TxDOT is suing the old contractor, the contractor is countersuing TxDOT, and the surety company is just trying to hide under a rock. The highlight of the legal drama? The contractor claims TxDOT designed a bridge deck that was six inches higher than the connecting ramps. Honestly, in a city this flat, a six-inch vertical jump is practically a mountain range—maybe they were just trying to give us some “scenic” topography.
Meanwhile, Bernards—the legendary pit stop for anyone trying to escape Lubbock toward Austin—is officially a ghost town. TxDOT’s defense for effectively building a moat around the business? “Sovereign Immunity,” which is government-speak for “We can’t hear your complaints over the sound of our own incompetence.” They also argued that forcing customers to drive a 15-mile detour wasn’t a “substantial impairment.” I’m sure the locals loved the casual 30-minute round trip for a 12-pack and a bag of ice.
A new contractor from The Woodlands is taking over now, hopefully bringing a tape measure that actually works. They’re starting with “erosion control,” which is a fancy way of saying they’re trying to stop the bridge from melting into the natural playa lake basin TxDOT accidentally built it in. We’ve got six phases left to go, including “rehabilitating” the mess they already made and “fixing drainage problems” that probably shouldn’t have existed in the first place.
If it takes seven years to build one bridge over a flat highway, how many centuries until Loop 88 actually connects to anything other than more disappointment?
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