TRI-COUNTY — Throughout January and February, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) held town halls and solicited community feedback to set priorities for projects over the next four years. The agency will tackle several projects in the Big Bend, mostly by improving existing roads to park destinations.
Most notably, the project aims to cut an access road into the Chinati Mountains State Natural Area, set to become the area’s newest publicly-accessible wilderness experience. In 2014, Marfa Public Radio announced that 39,000 acres had been donated to Texas Parks and Wildlife in the rugged and scenic Chinati Mountains.
Over the past 10 years, little progress has been publicly announced. Opening a new park involves a lot of planning and red tape: once funding is secured, surveys need to be conducted and public input has to be solicited. “Most of the process for finalizing the public use plan, including public input, is complete,” the park’s website explains. “TPWD leadership is currently taking a final look at the plan.”
TPWD did not return a request for comment about an opening date for the The Big Bend Sentinel, but TxDOT’s plans indicate that one could soon be on the horizon. The agency plans to spend around $4.5 million to construct a public entrance into the park, including paved and unpaved roadways. The project is scheduled to go up for bid in 2025.
The new Chinati park isn’t the only Big Bend destination on TxDOT’s list. A road in Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, just east of Big Bend National Park, will be paved in some places and graded in others to improve access to the river. That project is also set to go up for bid next year and is estimated to cost around $1.2 million.
The Lajitas end of the Big Bend Ranch State Park river corridor will also get a facelift, with around $200,000 worth of seal coating for park roads, parking lots and campsite pullouts.
Projects outside of the parks include bridge and roadway rehabilitation in north Brewster County and along Highway 118, as well as upgrades to Highway 67 between Presidio and Marfa. To view a full presentation on all of the projects coming to the area, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFnbBS2LTiA.