Los Fresnos News

City, TXDOT Urge Caution Around New Whipple Road Traffic Lights

New traffic lights being installed at the corner of Ocean Blvd. (Highway 100) and Evergreen Road. Photo: Victor Moreno/LFN

New traffic lights being installed at the corner of Ocean Blvd. (Highway 100) and Evergreen Road. Photo: Victor Moreno/LFN

The city of Los Fresnos, with the help of the Texas Department of Transportation, has begun the installation of a new traffic lights for traffic going north on Evergreen Street to Whipple Road from Highway 100.

Although no specific date to the lights being fully operational, Los Fresnos City Manager Mark Milum, as well as Texas Department of Transportation representatives, are encouraging motorists to be aware of their surroundings and be attentive of the new additional stop on Highway 100 (Ocean Blvd).

“The light that will be installed on SH100 will be operational within 6 to 8 weeks,” said Octavio Saenz, Public Information Officer with Texas Department of Transportation.

Before the lights are ready several steps must be taken. The district conducts a traffic engineering study (if the city has not already provided this infor-mation) to determine if the location meets one of the signal justification warrants in the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD). If the traffic study shows that the location meets at least one of the warrants for traffic signal installation (as described in the TMUTCD), the district then decides, based on engineering judgment, if the installation of a traffic signal would be in the best interest of the public. If the location does not meet at least one warrant, the request is denied.

If the traffic signal installation is deemed appropriate, the district traffic section then forwards its recommendation and a Traffic Signal Authorization Request form to the district engineer for final approval and signature. Then if the signal installation is approved, the district then determines who is responsible for the installation of the signal. If funding, installation, maintenance, or operation of the proposed signal will involve an entity other than TxDOT, the district must determine if a written agreement is required.

“The only thing that we may add is that with a new installation of a traffic device, motorists should exercise attention to traffic flow and be wary of his or her surroundings,” Saenz said.

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