HIGHWAY 290-FM 1155 INTERSECTION A CONTINUED CONCERN

  

The intersection of Highway 290 and FM 1155 in Chappell Hill continues to be a cause for concern of local residents and public safety officials.

For years, the intersection has been the site of many accidents, some serious or even fatal, leaving many to wonder what can be done to ensure the well-being of drivers.

DPS Sergeant Justin Ruiz says while all intersections are dangerous, he believes a major factor in crashes at this location is drivers not paying attention behind the wheel.

 

Local law enforcement officials such as Sgt. Ruiz and Washington County Precinct 2 Constable Trey Holleway III have received many comments from concerned citizens about the safety of the intersection.  Many of those citizens are frustrated with how many drivers seem to ignore the red light or the drop to a 60 mile per hour speed limit 1 mile before the light on either side of the highway.

Bob Colwell, Public Information Officer for TxDOT’s Bryan District, says there are 25,965 vehicles on average per day that drive on Highway 290 in the area of FM 1155.  Meanwhile, there are 1,662 vehicles per day that drive on the north side of FM 1155 and 567 vehicles on the south side.

According to a crash report obtained from TxDOT, there have been three crashes at the intersection so far this year.  Two of those accidents, including one in April involving an 18-wheeler and five other vehicles, involved a driver who either disregarded the light, turned on red or failed to yield right of way.  The crash in April damaged the light and led to TxDOT having to replace it in August.

The intersection is a particular concern for Chappell Hill resident Hiram Dunlap, who took it upon himself to see how often drivers run the stop light.  Dunlap studied the light on seven different afternoons and evenings in August in 30-minute intervals.  Through his testing, he found that no fewer than five drivers ran the red light in any 30-minute period, while as many as 15 did so in one interval.  Dunlap wishes that law enforcement would give more attention to the light with additional patrol officers.

Sgt. Ruiz said local agencies will continue to partner to make the intersection as safe as possible, but noted that they can only do so much.

 

Similar to Sgt. Ruiz, Constable Holleway said his resources are limited as a one-person agency, but he and other constable departments have worked together on various traffic enforcement initiatives on highly traveled roads in the county, such as this intersection.  He said he has been a part of many discussions with TxDOT regarding continued planning for the intersection, and that the agency is “well aware” of the community’s concerns.

Some of the enhancement measures implemented by TxDOT to improve driver awareness at the intersection include various warning devices, rumble strips, speed limit reductions, pavement improvements and modified light cycles.

Sgt. Ruiz and Constable Holleway encouraged anyone who remains worried about the intersection to continue to voice their concerns.