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Timeline uncertain for new temporary Exit 301 in Temple

Temple's temporary, northbound 301 exit did not open Sunday, muddying the project's completion schedule.

TEMPLE, Texas — Will Temple get a temporary, northbound 301 exit after losing it over a year ago? Officials from the Texas Department of Transportation said it will-- at some point.

A press release from TxDOT said crews would be working to open the exit to Central Ave. and Adams Ave. between Saturday night and Sunday morning and that a contractor would close the northbound frontage road north of Avenue H, forcing a detour to 31st St.

However, a notice at the bottom of the release said cold weather could delay work, and according to TxDOT spokeswoman Jodi Wheatley, that is most likely what happen.

Meanwhile, businesses are still recovering from the initial revenue losses Exit 301's closure caused over a year ago.

"We were down probably 15 to 20 percent in sales for at least the first couple months," KFC manager Desmond Williams said. "It hurt other businesses worse than mine. There was a Valero across the street that told me it was down about 75 percent in sales."

Williams said sales eventually bounced back as customers became familiar with the new northbound Exit 300 that was put up to detour traffic, but that original exit still needs to come back.

"It also leads straight to downtown Temple," Williams said. "There are business downtown affected as well-- it's tough to get downtown without the exit."

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