PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A $70 million construction project coming to Port Arthur is aiming to improve a well-known intersection and make driving easier and safer.
Since 2016, 450 crashes have taken place at the U.S. Route 69 and Texas State Highway 73 interchange, also known as Cloverleaf. Sixty-one of those crashes happened in 2021.
Many drivers in Port Arthur find the Cloverleaf interchange confusing, scary and even dangerous at times. The Texas Department of Public Transportation wants to change this.
“It’s currently a Cloverleaf design, and we will be transforming it into a turbine design, so there will be several circles kind of going in a swirling almost type motion," Sarah Dupre, TxDOT public information's officer, said.
The plan is to add direct connectors, improve frontage roads and ramps, add retaining walls and widen some of the roads. Crews began work in November of 2021, and it is expected to take some time for construction to be done.
Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie believes the Cloverleaf was innovative engineering when it was installed, but city growth brought more diversity and Cloverleaf could not keep up.
“I remember being a kid when they were building it, probably in the 50s and 60s,” Bartie said. “Looked great. It made us think we lived in Houston, but well okay, but traffic has grown since then.”
When the mayor was younger, the Cloverleaf could keep up with Port Arthur traffic, he said. Now, safety has become an issue and Bartie feels the road improvements could not have come at a better time.
“Traffic has grown exponentially, and it was functional whenever it was designed in '58, '59, or whenever it was, but now in 2021, you know, we see how it's not safe,” Bartie said.
Some Port Arthur residents said they do not drive near the Cloverleaf. Those who do said they are happy to see that a change is coming.
“This is really going to help with not only safety; it’s going to help with congestion as well,” Bartie said.
City officials urge drivers to be on the lookout while Cloverleaf is being brought up to current design standards. Drivers are encouraged to watch out for any detours.
“Nothing's going to happen right now, and those detours might come sometime this spring,” Dupre said. “But we're going to be putting out plenty of information to let people know what they can expect.”
TxDOT officials said they will do their best to schedule major lane closures at night to impact fewer drivers.