CC71 - Citizens for Change on 71

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Residents Voice Concerns About Texas 71's Safety
Monday October 8th 2007

Suggestions include development moratorium, lowering speed limits

By Charles McClure
Lake Travis View
More than 100 people crammed into the Bee Cave Elementary School Cafeteria last Thursday to voice concerns about safety issues on Texas 71.
Hosted by Citizens for Change on 71 (CC71), the forum included presentations by the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (TxDOT) District Engineer Don Nyland and Travis County Pct. 3 Commissioner Gerald Daugherty. Both would hear an earful from frustrated residents before the night was over.
“CC71 is a group of concerned neighbors who share a vision of safety for Texas 71,” said moderator Don Fry. “The group has been formed out of empathy to the families who have been devastated by the horrific accidents in recent months. It became clear to us — especially after three Round Rock educators lost their lives [on Texas 71] — that something must be done, and not seven years from now.”
CC71 has found initial support for lowering speed limits on Texas 71 to 55 miles per hour in a resolution unanimously supported by Travis County Commissioners. CC71 believes lowered speed limits are a first step toward decreasing the number of accidents along Texas 71.
“The safety issues here have not been going on for just the past six months,” Daugherty said. “I think that if Texas 71 is not the most dangerous road in Central Texas, it is certainly right at the top of the list.”
Despite his support of lower speed limits, Daugherty told the audience that only a total rebuild of Texas 71 could make it a safer road.
“A total rebuild of Texas 71 — at least from Oak Hill to the Pedernales River — is the only longterm solution,” Daugherty said. “What I have found since I have been in office is that safety issues for roads rank right at the top of what people want in a road system. Unfortunately, we are very, very limited in what we can do quickly. I am not going to beat around the bush — this is about one major thing — it is funding. We have a funding crisis in the State of Texas. We just don’t have the money to take on the kinds of building and upgrades on our comprehensive road system.”
Daugherty said that as a member of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), he has worked closely with TxDOT to flesh out new funding mechanisms for area roads. After the meeting, he told the Lake Travis View that without approval of an upcoming Oct. 8 CAMPO vote to build five new toll roads in the Travis County area, finding funds for other projects, including upgrading Texas 71, would be “virtually impossible.” However, when Daugherty asked those on hand if they supported the current toll road plan, only four hands were raised. The mere mention of toll roads would later lead to bitter criticism from some on hand. The commissioner made it clear that he does not support seeing Texas 71 converted into a toll road.
“The truth is that TxDOT is out of money,” Daugherty said. “The gas tax doesn’t even come close to taking care of the needs of our added capacity, much less to take care of the safety issues like Texas 71. If TxDOT had the money, I know they would go out and take on Texas 71, because they know it is a very dangerous road.”
But Daugherty said the first step was to lower speed limits along Texas 71.
“When you have an undivided highway and then put water on it, that is a recipe for disaster,” Daugherty said. “I think we have gotten TxDOT’s attention to at least get some immediate things done. We need to find those zones where we can lower the speed limit to 55 and even below 55 where it is appropriate. All of the commissioners would like to see those speeds lowered.”
But that may be easier said than done, according to Nyland.
“Speed limits are the part where I get to be the bad guy,” Nyland said. “We did a study of 120 vehicles to establish the minimum and maximum speeds. For the most part, people aren’t driving the speed limits. The federal government says that we can set the speed limit at the 85 percentile [of the average speed of the drivers on the road]. Whatever that is, that is where we must set the speed limit. To artificially lower the speed limit doesn’t do any good. We would like to be able to go out there and lower speed limits too, but when it comes to enforcement, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) would have to have somebody posted out here to enforce the speed limits.”
He said DPS does not have the manpower to enforce lower speed limits along Texas 71.
“If you want to get that changed, then you need to talk to your state reps and senators and get that changed,” Nyland said.
“In other words, the most effective way to get something done with speed limits on Texas 71, the community needs to contact your state and federal representatives and senators,” Daugherty said. “So that means we need to begin contacting our congressmen to let them know that this is something we would like to do.”
Nyland talked about a long-term overhaul of Texas 71. He said the roadway would be split into about eight different projects from Oak Hill to the Pedernales River. However, there is no funding in place for the road improvements.
“We looked at certain areas to see what we could do and how much it would cost,” Nyland said. “We are looking at about $100 million to take care of Texas 71. If anyone has $100 million, I’ll be happy to take it and we will fix Texas 71 and get a turn lane down the middle of it.”
He said there were short-term solutions TxDOT could pursue, including the use of different surface compositions that could encourage slower driving and enhance water runoff at a cost of $360,000.
“It is expensive,” Nyland said. “Using that kind of material costs about twice as much as our normal hot mix does. But the water tends to percolate through it better. Hopefully that will help with the wet-weather accidents.”
Nyland said TxDOT has $6 million allocated for safety work along Texas 71 that would create a five lane section from Bee Creek to the Pedernales River. We have that under design right now. That project should be underway by early 2009. That will include a widening of the two Bee Creek bridges.”
Nyland said some of the projects under consideration will include right-of-way issues.
“Anytime we have to go out and take right-of-way, you’re looking at a five year process,” Nyland said. “There are all kinds of things that must be done in these instances, including environmental studies. After all, Barton Creek is down there and everybody wants to keep the creek clean, but they also want the roadway widened. We will do what we can to mitigate any runoff into the creek. After all, from Oak Hill to Bee Creek is in the Barton Creek watershed.”
Nyland said Texas road funding was made more complicated when the federal government recently took $600 million away from TxDOT to spend elsewhere.
During the question and answer portion of the forum, audience members offered opinions about how to best make Texas 71 safer.
Chantal McVey, who lost her husband in a Texas 71 accident, asked if there was any way to build a center-divider.
“If we put a barrier down the middle, than I have got to widen out the road,” Nyland said. “You just can’t stick a barrier down the middle of the road, because everyone runs into it.”
But McVey countered, noting that a barrier could prevent cars from veering into oncoming traffic, something that might have saved lives in the case of her husband’s traffic accident. Nyland said the matter was complicated, but that he would look into the possibility.
McVey also suggested that lowered speed limits, particularly in “S” shaped areas of the roads, like the one that claimed the lives of the three teachers this past summer, would help. She added that the current location of speed limit signs was difficult to see, particularly in the evening.
“That will be taken care of when we do the five lane section of the highway,” Nyland said.
But McVey voiced concerns about the other side of the road, coming from Marble Falls.
“I’d like to do it if I could talk someone into another $300,000,” Nyland said.
Bee Creek resident Bill Crowley angrily denounced what he labeled as “excuses” concerning the lowering of speed limits, prompting a heated exchange with Daugherty. He was also critical of the lack of enforcement along the highway.
“If you are speeding just inside the Bee Cave city limit, you will be ticketed for exceeding the 55 miles per hour speed limit that begins exactly at that sign,” Crowley said. “However, if you are headed west of Bee Cave, where the speed limit is 65 mph, you never see a policeman there. When cars are coming downhill headed west at Bee Creek, they are going 75, 80 and 90 mph. Why don’t we have a policeman out there?
“If we were to enforce the speed limit, as they do in Bee Cave, where people seldom exceed 55 mph because it is enforced, then why don’t we enforce it out where I live,” Crowley said. “It seems your [Nyland’s] excuse that we can’t lower the speed limit because the federal government says that we have an 85 percent rule, doesn’t wash. How are you going to get that changed? You’re not going to get that changed. I say, with a little bit of creativity, Mr. Daugherty...deal with the problem of slowing the traffic down. Surely in your wisdom, you can get something done.”
The comments drew applause from the audience.
“If I could get something done tomorrow, I would,” Daugherty said. “If you think I have an interest in seeing anyone get hurt or that I don’t have concern for people and their lives out here, you’re wrong. I know you are frustrated, but no more than I am as an elected official.”
As the public discussions continued, many on hand agreed the ongoing commercial construction was contributing to the safety issues on Texas 71.
“The answer to improved safety on Texas 71 is to establish a moratorium on the approval of developments from Southwest Parkway to the Travis County line until TxDOT completes the infrastructure improvements to manage the capacity of all the massive developments already approved by our county leaders,” said Greg Young, a Spicewood resident.
After the meeting, Daugherty said he opposed a moratorium because it limits what private land owners could do with their property. He also said that a moratorium would be virtually impossible to institute because all the various municipal entities along Texas 71.