CITY COUNCIL TAKING UP HIGHER SPEED LIMITS FOR 290 THURSDAY
The Brenham City Council will once again take up a proposed increase in speed limits for highway 290 from just east of the city limits to business 290 west at the Cloverleaf, when they meet Thursday at city hall.
Members of the council along with Police Chief Rex Phelps expressed skepticism about the proposal at a meeting a month ago. The Texas Department of Transportation wants the speed limit raised from 65 miles to 70 miles per hour at FM 577 to Blue Bell Road. They want to increase the speed limit from 60 to 65 miles per hour from the railroad crossing to the 290 cloverleaf.
Chief Phelps says this could be a dangerous proposal. He told the city council at their October 3rd meeting that this stretch of highway has seen 158 accidents in the past two years and over thirty of them were injury accidents. .
City Engineer Grant Lischka said TxDot conducted a traffic survey after the completion of the 290 project and concluded it was time to raise the speed limits.
The city council has a busy agenda Thursday. They are expected to purchase of firefighting and rescue equipment through the Houston Galveston Area Council Cooperative purchasing equipment agrreement .
The council will also act on a noise variance for the ‘Unveiled Conference’ to be held from 5 pm to 7pm this Friday , November 8th at the Amphitheater at Hohlt Park.
The Brenham City Council meets Thursday at one at city hall.