If you've ever been held up by a slow-moving train heading from Fort Worth to Granbury or vice-versa, relief will soon be here.
The railroad crossings on highways 377 and 171 in Hood, Johnson and Parker counties have been a source of frustration for the people of Cresson for many years.
"I can tell you from sitting through it myself, it can be anywhere up to 30 to 40 minutes," says Cresson Mayor Teena Conway, who shares her residents' pain.
And that's not even the worst of it.
The train has its own Facebook page, and people have reported being stuck on 377 for an hour or more at times.
Exactly when trains come through to tie up traffic is anyone's guess.
"I've gotten caught by the train at 10:45 at night, (and) I've gotten caught by it at 8:00 a.m.," says Mayor Conway. "That does impact a commuter's schedule. Let's face it, if you're going to a doctor's appointment, you usually don't pad in 30 minutes."
Fortunately, there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Work is underway on what is officially known as the 377 Cresson Relief Route.
TxDOT says the three-mile route will be a four-lane divided highway with an overpass over the tracks, stretching one mile in both directions of the 377/171 intersection, curving west around the city.
Work on the $61 million project started in November of 2019, and Mayor Conway says completion can't come soon enough.
"They're (TxDOT) still saying that completion target date would be summer of 2024," Conway says.
Mayor Conway acknowledges that the planning has had its share of challenges.
"They did find some wetlands on this project that had to be preserved, which required extra bridges to be built," says Conway. "And that (caused) a little bit of a delay in project."
When the relief route is completed, the current stretch of 377 that crosses the railroad tracks will become Business 377.
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