At the urging of Highland Village officials, the Texas Department of Transportation will soon permanently fix a dangerous intersection.
The median opening at FM 2499 and Barton Creek, just north of FM 407, has been the scene of many accidents, according to City Manager Mike Leavitt.
Motorists use intersection to access The Shops of Highland Village and Marketplace of Highland Village shopping centers on either side of FM 2499.
Leavitt said that in the seven years since FM 2499 was widened, there have been 220 calls for service to police, including nine serious T-bone crashes.
A video from a camera overlooking the intersection shows the impact of an accident in which one vehicle was traveling the 40-mph speed limit on FM 2499 while a truck was attempting to cross the highway. The impact left the truck on its side with debris strewn across the road.
The city installed traffic pylons in September 2014, prohibiting cross traffic at the intersection as well as left turns out of the shopping centers.
“Since we put those yellow pylons up a year-and-a-half ago, not one accident has occurred,” said Leavitt.
However, the city wanted a long-term solution.
The council went to TxDOT with their safety concerns and state transportation officials agreed to make the restrictions permanent by building concrete dividers in the median.
TxDOT officials anticipate starting work on the modifications in April.
“It is the right thing to do. It’s a good thing,” said Leavitt.
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