Work on Expressway 83 Speed Bump Completed

UPDATE (4/25): It was a smooth ride for drivers Wednesday morning following a few days of hitting a bump on the expressway.

The sort of "speed bump" was caused when crews were working to install a new waterline underneath the expressway over the weekend.

On Tuesday night, Texas Department of Transportation shut down part of the expressway to make repairs and level out the area.

The city is working to determine what caused the bump to form.

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DONNA – Part of U.S. Expressway 83 will be shutdown starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday, as Texas Department of Public Safety workers smooth over a “speed bump” on a portion of the road.

The bump took drivers by surprise over the weekend through Tuesday, as well as city workers.

Donna Public Utilities Director Jonas Gonzalez said the road became raised on Saturday while work was being completed underneath the expressway.

In the WB main lane of I-2 a slight elevation of the road occurred near Hutto Road & on the EB frontage of the same area in Donna. This “bump” occurred while a utility company was digging a water line for the City of Donna. Please slow down in the area. pic.twitter.com/QydUkzz6Pn
— TxDOT Pharr District (@TxDOTPharr) April 24, 2018

“While the contractor was doing some of the work, they did notice that westbound expressway did lift up a little, up a little bit,” he explained.

It’s unclear what caused the ground to rise, but the city, TxDOT and Saenz Brother’s Construction, the company hired by the city to install a new water line, are working to come up with an answer.

A driver told CHANNEL 5 NEWS she was surprised by the unexpected jerk she felt while driving through the area over the weekend.

“It was very strange because I normally go through that street very often, but I just freaked out. I didn't know what it was until I looked through my mirror and I noticed the other cars were going through the little bump,” she says.

Several residents took up their concerns to Donna City Hall.

“Obviously, you know, if you go out there you see high-profile vehicles, and you can see how it could be a problem,” said Gonzalez.

TxDOT will be closing the westbound main lanes of Interstate 2 between from FM 433(Main St) and Hutto Road to mill the road and smooth out that “bump” on the road after 9:00PM (overnight work). We should be done before breakfast! pic.twitter.com/faniTLvSAK
— TxDOT Pharr District (@TxDOTPharr) April 24, 2018