Texas Department of Transportation engineers are doubtful traffic signal lights at the busy intersection will be activated before the Thanksgiving holiday, when traffic swells considerably in the area, said Bob Colwell, public information officer.
“We are wanting to turn them on as much as anybody else, but we want do it at the appropriate time,” Colwell said. “We don’t think the week of Thanksgiving would be the appropriate time, even if we could get the signs up and the roadway striped before Thanksgiving. It could do more harm than good if we did turn them on that week and we don’t want to do anything to hinder traffic, we just want to help it.”
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers in Milam County were hopeful signals would be activated before Thanksgiving, when traffic on the county’s highways more than double. The Sunday evening following the popular holiday is particularly busy when bumper-to-bumper vehicles historically make accessing U.S. Highway 190 to the north treacherous.
“I think signals would make it a safer intersection,” said Cpl. Jimmy Morgan of the Texas Department of Public Safety in Cameron. “With the traffic expected during Thanksgiving, I hope we don’t have a major accident out there.
“I think it would relieve traffic congestion at the intersection if they were working,” Morgan said. “Over the years we know how bad the traffic gets during Thanksgiving.”
At this point, the DPS has no plans to direct traffic at the intersection.
“Traffic lights will take the guesswork out of driving through this intersection,” Morgan said, adding that when northbound 18-wheelers waiting in the crossover impinge on southbound lanes, causing a threat to motorists. The DPS reported that the intersection has been the site of six-reported motor vehicle crashes this year, including one fatality on April 23.
TxDOT has not set the date for the lights to be activated, Colwell said. “We want to have them turned on as soon as possible,” he said.
TxDOT approved traffic signal lights at the intersection after law officers and volunteer firefighters directed traffic around the clock to move a backlogged queue of hurricane refugees through the intersection in 2005.
A stop sign manages traffic through the highway junction. Traffic signal hardware at the intersection is covered with paper.
jwilliams@temple-telegram.com
