By Lisa Morton
Just a few months into the reconstruction project on Highway 90 near Valentine, the zone has already seen 10 reported accidents with speed being the main factor in all but two of them. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Engineer, Chris Webber updated The Advocate yesterday on the project and the completion, which is on schedule for September. “This is a tight deadline with our unpredictable West Texas weather being a factor”, said Webber, who added that there would be more construction with guardrail work after the roads are redone. While the contractor and TxDOT continue to balance safety, production, and public convenience, they ask that travelers be ever vigilant and aware as they pass through the zone.
Valentine Mayor, Jesus Calderon has requested additional striping to include a much safer, two-way left turn lane at the main intersection in town, where the school bus turns off the highway. “This will help tremendously as our bus driver delivers our students safely to school”, Calderon said. Webber will also promote another two-way left turn marking at the FM505 intersection, seven miles East of Valentine, that turns to Fort Davis and Kent.
Chris Webber is pleading with the public to obey and respect the posted speed limits for their own safety. “Drivers think the 45-mph reduced speed is for the construction crew safety but it is actually for them. There have been hundreds of cars and trucks passing in the double-striped lanes”, he added. Webber is more than happy to contact any trucking company about their drivers disobeying the traffic laws in this zone and has already done so. Any driver who witnesses a trucker driving unsafely, can call the Alpine TxDOT office at 432-837-3391 and give them the information about the trucking company, and they will contact the company who can verify most trucks locations and speed via GPS tracking.
