Construction Begins on Another Bridge on I-20 in Midland/Odessa

Another phase of the decade-long project to switch bridges along I-20 has begun.

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, the intersection of I-20 and Cotton Flat began the transition on Monday.

Yet another bridge will be removed and the interstate will be reconstructed to where I-20 will go over Cotton Flat Rd.

“A $25 million federal BUILD grant is paying for part of the $68.5 million project,” TxDOT reported. “The BUILD grant came with scheduling mandates which is why TxDOT will have three consecutive overpass projects going simultaneously along the I-20 corridor in Midland County.”

The first phase of the Cotton Flat project will be working on the service roads to convert them to one-way all the way east to Rankin Hwy and also joining up to the west with the Midkiff overpass project already underway.

During the first phase, the Cotton Flat bridge will be opened but service roads will be down to one lane with concrete barriers separating traffic from workers as they work on widening the service roads.

“Once the frontage roads are widened to three lanes in each direction, the main lane traffic will be moved to the service road for construction of the new overpass that will carry I-20 main lanes over an improved Cotton Flat Road similar to the Midkiff Road bridge project to the west,” TxDOT reported.

The Cotton Flat bridge will be removed earlier in the project than the Midkiff bridge because the bridge supports for the existing Cotton Flat bridge will need to be removed to accommodate the new one-way, three-lane service road.

The Cotton Flat Bridge project is expected to be completed in spring 2025.