The Smith County Commissioners Court received a progress report on the courthouse construction project on Tuesday, June 3.
Brandy Ziegler, partner with Fitzpatrick Architects, has been working on the project for more than two years and said, “it’s wonderful to watch this plan come to life,” as the 100-plus-year building is constructed.
She noted that the Hoar Construction team moved with their families to Tyler for the project, which is a statement to their commitment and dedication.
“We want you to understand the hard work and dedication that goes into this project every day,” Stephen Flournoy, project executive for Hoar Construction, said, adding that the project is 35 percent complete.
“We are one-third of the way there,” he said, adding that the cost and timing of where the project is right now is where they want to be.
Bradley Barr, Senior Superintendent for Hoar Construction, gave some “high-level statistics” about the construction project. They include:
- More than 11,000 cubic yards have been poured so far. That means more than 1,100 concrete trucks have been through the job site.
- More than 1,000 tons of rebar have been installed. That equals about 500 F-150 trucks worth of rebar.
- There is an average of 100 workers on the construction site every day.
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing work have begun on the lower level, and air handlers and generators have been delivered. Barr said that work is a big deal because it means the heavy mechanical equipment that will run the building has been received.
He also talked about the 92 weather days they have seen during the construction project, although they have only claimed 43 days so far since they have been able to work overtime and weekends to stay on track despite the rain. He said during the project, they have continuously been pumping water out of the site.
At the beginning of the project, a temporary dewatering system was installed around the site perimeter to help manage groundwater. A permanent dewatering system is now also installed underneath the basement slab on grade to manage groundwater.
Water underground is constantly pumped out and redirected to the storm water system. “They don’t call it Spring Avenue for no reason,” he said.
The 250-foot crane being used for the project was struck by lightning during a May storm. Crane specialists were called in from Houston and only a few parts needed replacement before it was inspected, recertified and back up and running within two days.
“The team is working every single day to mitigate these weather days,” Barr said.
Each floor is split up into three sections. They are attempting to pour one section of concrete every seven days, which equates to completing a new floor every three to four weeks. They had poured one level of the fourth floor, as of June 3, and are scheduled to be through with pouring concrete in August.
Barr said constructing the underground tunnel that will lead from the new courthouse to the jail has been a challenge. The excavation was 28-foot deep and large steel sheet piles that interlock have been physically driven in place to prevent excavation collapse.
The tunnel shoring, excavations and foundations are complete, Barr said, adding that they are continuing work on the tunnel’s concrete walls.
The targeted completion time for Phase 2 of the bond project, which is completion of the courthouse construction, remains in fall of 2026. Phase 3, which includes demolition of the existing courthouse and green space from Spring Avenue to Broadway Avenue, is expected to be completed by Spring 2027.
Phase 1 of the bond project was the construction of the five-story parking garage on Ferguson Avenue, across the street from the courthouse project. The parking garage opened in November 2024.
The attached photo was provided by Hoar Construction and was taken June 2, 2025. The powerpoint presentation given in Commissioners Court is available upon request.
The drone video can be found on the county’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/kBpy93wwk-A
