Barring any unforeseen circumstances, FM 1053 between FM 11 and FM 1450 will reopen Friday according to Texas Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Gene Powell.
“It looks like we’re still on schedule to be open Friday. If everything goes as planned it’ll be open Friday,” Powell said on Wednesday.
The likely reopening will come two weeks after the road was initially shut down to heavy rainfall and a crack that was caused by the precipitation.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will be increasing the number of Texas Highway Patrol Troopers on the road from Friday, July 2, through Monday, July 5, as part of Operation CARE (Crash Awareness Reduction and Effort) and Operation Holiday. DPS Troopers will be on the roads looking for drivers who are speeding, driving while intoxicated or not their wearing seat belts.
Agricultural producers who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after spring planting should make an appointment with the Pecos County Farm Service Agency (FSA) before the applicable deadline.
“In order to comply with USDA program eligibility requirements, all producers must file an accurate crop acreage report by the applicable deadline,” said Carla Spencer, FSA’s County Executive Director in Pecos County. “Our FSA staff is available to assist producers in completing acreage reports, including providing maps.”
A long-term solution for the sinkhole and the affected FM 1053 road between Fort Stockton and Imperial will be in the works in the near future according to Texas Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Gene Powell.
TxDOT shut down a section of FM 1053 -- between FM 11 and FM 1450 – on Friday because of a crack in the road that was caused by heavy rainfall.
