Road detour ahead during prep for new gas station opening

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As construction of a new convenience store nears completion, the city of Pearsall has announced a short-term closure of FM 1581.
Drivers traveling westbound on FM 1581 will take a detour that includes traveling down Irma Road, turning right onto the northbound IH-35 frontage road, taking a left at the intersection of FM 140, before taking another left along the southbound frontage road. Once on the access road, drivers will travel some two miles before turning right onto FM 1581.
Those traveling east on FM 1581 will take a left after passing under the overpass and take the northbound frontage road before making a right at the FM 140 intersection that leads into downtown Pearsall.
According to Odyssey Services representative Rich Hatch, the developer of the Refuel Station, the closure of the farm-to-market road is expected to last four days.
“TxDOT is requiring us to put in a left turn lane for the eastbound traffic and in order to do that, what our contractor would like to do is temporarily shut down FM 1581 for a period of no more than four days,” Hatch told councilors during a Tuesday, June 10, meeting. “The closure would only occur during the daylight hours.”

Drivers using FM 1581 near the IH-35 access road will be diverted during lane alteration work before a new Refuel station opens at the highway intersection

Hatch told councilors the closure was necessary for the road construction crew to begin to mill the old asphalt off and reapply the new asphalt.
However, the city had to agree to allow Irma Road to be used as a temporary detour, per TxDOT regulations.
The representative further noted crews have begun widening FM 1581.
“Once the widening is done and the base is done, that is when we will come in and ask for the closure,” Hatch said.
Pearsall City Manager Federico Reyes expressed concern over the width of the road and the capability of allowing two commercial vehicles to pass simultaneously.
“One concern is the eighteen-wheeler trucks,” the city manager said, “as far as them being able to pass through there. That is our biggest concern. Can they get through there?”
Hatch acknowledged that the residential road was small but noted that the roadway is two lanes wide.
“So there is room for two eighteen wheelers to pass through there,” the representative said.
Hatch said the city would be notified when the closure would begin.