The US 69 Overpass at Bullard Slid to 2029. The Roads Beyond It Run Even Longer.

Since the morning of Monday, Sept. 28, everyone driving US 69 through Bullard has used the east side of the highway. That day, TxDOT moved traffic over and cut US 69 to one lane in each direction, with a continuous center turn lane between them. The switch waited until after 8 a.m. so it wouldn't collide with school drop-off, and CBS19 reported that TxDOT expects the setup to last "several months" while crews build on the west side.

The overpass behind that lane shift has a much longer timeline. A year ago, TxDOT expected the overpass to be finished by next spring. Now it is listed for spring 2029. Meanwhile, the two other big projects on the routes north of town, FM 2493 toward Flint and FM 756 toward south Tyler, have listed finish dates later than that. Fall 2026 is when this work moved into its longest stretch, and the end is still years out.

The overpass a year ago and today

TxDOT puts out a weekly list of construction updates for the Tyler District. In the version KLTV published for the week of Oct. 27, 2025, the US 69 and FM 2493 interchange showed East Texas Bridge, Inc. as contractor, a cost of $38.5 million, and anticipated completion in Spring 2027. Crews were working on frontage road next to US 69 and inlets for FM 2493.

The October 2026 lists describe the same work. The limits still run from half a mile north of FM 2493 West to half a mile south of FM 2493 East on US 69, and along FM 2493 from 0.3 miles south of FM 344 to US 69. East Texas Bridge is still the contractor. What has changed is that the week of Oct. 12, 2026 update shows a cost of $68 million and anticipated completion in Spring 2029. The week of Oct. 19 update, reprinted by the Kilgore News Herald, has the same figures and says traffic "has been reduced to one lane in both directions."

So the listed cost rose by $29.5 million in a year, and the target date moved back two full years. The weekly updates don't say why. What matters for daily driving is that the one-lane setup on US 69 is part of a project with roughly two and a half more years to go, as currently listed.

Here is what the finished interchange will include, according to TxDOT:

• An overpass carrying US 69, with entrance and exit ramps
• FM 2493 realigned west of US 69
• New bridges, paving, pavement markings and road signs

The changes Bullard drivers have already been through

The overpass has been changing how people get around town for almost a year. Here are the changes so far, in order, from local coverage:

1. Week of Dec. 19, 2025. The speed limit dropped to 45 mph where US 69 meets FM 2493 East, in front of the new Bullard ISD middle school, KLTV reported, citing the district.
2. Jan. 5, 2026. A temporary traffic signal was scheduled to go up at that intersection. Bullard ISD said in a post KLTV quoted that "the future overpass will help reduce congestion and improve travel times along U.S. 69."
3. Earlier in the project. Traffic on FM 2493 moved onto the newly built, realigned section at US 69. After that, the old stretch of FM 2493, which is South Houston Street, closed to through traffic south of County Road 3801, according to CBS19.
4. Sept. 28, 2026. US 69 traffic moved to the east side, with one lane each way plus a center turn lane.
5. Oct. 8, 2026. Traffic moved to the new intersection of FM 2493 and Panther Crossing, and the old intersection closed during the changeover. KETK reported that Bullard Elementary could still be reached from Schoolhouse Road and Panther Crossing. Anyone headed to the agricultural facilities, the animal barn or other buildings behind the high school was told to use the main high school entrance and drive through campus.
6. Oct. 12, 2026. The high school entrance was expected to reopen once the change was done. That same evening, a separate traffic switch on the FM 2493 widening north of town was scheduled to end.

None of these was the last change. Each one moved traffic out of a space crews needed next. The center turn lane, the Panther Crossing intersection and the realigned FM 2493 are where traffic runs now, and they will probably change again before the overpass opens.

Three projects, one drive north

The overpass is only part of the picture. Beyond it are two more TxDOT widening projects, and both last longer.

Together, the three projects are listed at $205.2 million. The FM 2493 widening is the most expensive of the three, and it connects directly to the overpass. Its south end is 0.3 miles below FM 344, the same point where the overpass project's FM 2493 work begins. Driving FM 2493 from Bullard to Flint puts you in one work zone and then the next for the whole trip. Together, the two contracts cover that corridor through fall 2029, as currently scheduled.

FM 756 has only just started, and its Phase 1 has the latest listed finish of the three. For the week of Oct. 19, TxDOT scheduled the contractor to work on cross culverts and temporary signals at Jeff Davis Drive and FM 756, prepare the right of way, and begin earthwork. Drivers should expect daytime lane closures. The finished road will have four lanes with a flush median.

FM 756's second phase is the part that reaches Bullard

TxDOT's FM 756 project page covers the whole corridor from Jeff Davis Drive in Tyler south to FM 344 near Bullard. TxDOT plans to build it in two phases. Phase 1 runs from Jeff Davis Drive to FM 346 and includes an interchange where FM 756 will cross over FM 346. Phase 2 runs from just south of FM 346 to FM 344.

The page lists Phase 1 construction to begin "as early as fall 2026," and this month's work matches that. It lists Phase 2 "as early as summer 2031," and notes that the dates are subject to change. So the section of FM 756 closest to Bullard is the last one in line. It won't start until after the overpass and the FM 2493 widening are scheduled to be finished.

The project has been in planning for a long time. TxDOT showed three design alternatives at a public meeting on Jan. 15, 2019, held a public hearing on July 15, 2021, and issued its Finding of No Significant Impact on Jan. 21, 2022. The page says the project requires buying new right of way from neighboring property owners. That acquisition began in 2023 and was expected to finish by summer 2025.

Keeping track week to week

Each Tyler District update lists every active project with a "This week" note. That line shows when a traffic switch is coming, when a closure ends, or when a project's cost or completion date changes. The week of Oct. 12 update is on TxDOT's site. Local outlets also run updates, including the Kilgore News Herald's reprint for the week of Oct. 19. Bullard ISD has also used its social media to post changes near campuses, as with the December speed limit change and January signal KLTV covered.

Not everything in town is about roadwork this fall. On Oct. 12, the same day the high school entrance was due to reopen, Rejuvenate You & Co. and Salt & Light Spa by Jessica opened in a shared space at 201 W. Main St., the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported.

Road projects affect daily drives, and they also affect how people look at property along US 69, FM 2493 and FM 756, whether you already own there or are considering it. If you'd like to talk through how this work relates to land or a home you're thinking about between Bullard and Tyler, Jena Waldron follows these corridors closely and is glad to help. Let's Connect.