TxDOT responds to concerned Western Travis County citizens who want concrete barriers erected on Hwy 71, telling them it’s not a good idea.
In a statement to Newsradio KLBJ, TxDOT’s Diann Hodges says they earnestly share the same concerns about traffic deaths and injuries but say concrete barriers on Highway 71 wouldn’t be a good solution. She says barriers work on roads like I-35 where access is provided to frontage roads and no one needs to cross the centerline. That’s not the case with Highway 71. Hodges says barriers could impede emergency vehicles and could trap wildlife which is also a driver hazard. Hodges says it comes down to good engineering judgement.
Safer 71 president Greg Short is glad they are responding. “There are obviously alternatives to concrete barriers that have been used in other places. There’s high-tension cable barriers or other solutions that might allow us to address some of those concerns that they have and still achieve the safety outcomes that we’re looking for.”
Short says despite TxDOT’s reticence to use concrete barriers, his group remains undeterred. “At Safer 71 we’re continuing to have good conversations with TxDOT and the Commissoners’ office and local law enforcement agencies. We’re working to figure out what is the right combination of solutions.”
Neighbors blame the rampant ongoing development along the 71 corridor for increasing traffic.
(Photo Shutterstock/Rhonda Roth)
