Residents worry as Midkiff Bridge demolition approaches

MIDLAND COUNTY, Texas (KOSA) - In April, TxDOT begins the process of demolishing the Midkiff Bridge over I-20 in Midland.

It’ll be the second bridge to undergo construction, creating traffic problems for residents of South Midland.

“On a good day? 20-25 minutes,” said resident Erica Bingham when asked how long it takes her to get to work. Her commute has nearly doubled since the demolition of the Cotton Flat Bridge.

For Tammy Harvey, another South Midland resident, it’s a trek just to get to the grocery store.

“It took us about 20-25 minutes with all the traffic,” Harvey said.

It’s all because of bridge construction along I-20 that’s demolished the Cotton Flat Bridge and soon to take out the Midkiff Bridge, effectively severing South Midland’s arteries to the rest of the city.

“I can’t believe they’re doing another bridge blowout before the other is finished,” Bingham said.

For TxDOT, the construction is a matter of time: the work has to be completed due to scheduling mandates on a $25 million federal grant.

The Midland County Commissioner’s Court is looking to help however it can, including installing traffic lights at intersections that are seeing more activity, such as West County Road 118 and South 1210.

The Court has no say in the construction, but it can try to work around it. Precinct 3 Commissioner Luis Sanchez represents South Midland. If the south side loses its arteries, he wants to ensure the rest of the roads can compensate.

“As you can see, there’s a lot of cars that come down this intersection,” Sanchez said. “So, what we’re trying to do is make it easy for motorists to get on and off of this road.”

That includes adding temporary traffic lights and purchasing land to build new east-west corridors.

“This will be until the project gets done at Midkiff,” Sanchez said.

That could take up to two years, meaning roads like South County Road 1210 and Rankin Highway will have to support more traffic than they already do.

It’s a lot of pain for new bridges but a worthwhile gain.

“I’m all for the new highways and roads,” Bingham said.

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