|
Only have a minute? Listen instead
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Having to stop for nearly every red light between I-69E and Four Corners was once an unavoidable hazard for motorists traveling on Boca Chica Boulevard, particularly during certain hours of the day.
No longer is that the case since December 2021 thanks to the wonder of traffic-signal synchronization, which is coming to more roadways in Brownsville, though maybe not as quickly as motorists — including Director of Engineering and Public Works Doroteo Garcia Jr. — would prefer. But it’s coming nonetheless: The city has been awarded nearly $700,000 in Highway Safety Improvement Project funds to synchronize lights along Price Road, beginning at I-69E and ending at Old Port Isabel Road, for instance.
“We are moving along with that, slowly,” Garcia said. “We’re not taking the big steps I would like to, but getting the funding was a good starting point for us. … We’ve done a little bit on F.M. 802 and Alton Gloor (Boulevard), but getting the funding for Price Road is really important.”
The total cost of that project is roughly $1.5 million, with the city making up the difference by supplying traffic signal equipment that’s already paid for and was originally ordered for Southmost Road, he said.
“We still haven’t received all of the equipment, so we’re just going to use the equipment we have,” Garcia said. “Instead of waiting for Southmost we’re going to use it on Price, and then we’ll do Southmost when we have everything ready.”
Synchronization is a “work in progress,” he said.
“We’ve been taking really small steps, but I think we’re slowly inching our way to the synchronization of the city,” Garcia said.
The estimated overall cost to upgrade and synchronize signals on most major corridors and state roads in Brownsville stands at around $10 million, up from $6 million when the effort got underway three years ago, he said.
“We’ve allocated probably a total of about $3 million over the years, and we’re looking to continue supporting that program,” Garcia said. “At least it’s been the direction that I see from our administration.”
Synchronizing traffic lights reduces vehicles emissions, allows motorists to spend less on fuel and helps them get from Point A to Point B faster and more efficiently, he noted. For instance, it’s much smoother getting to the Brownsville South Padre International Airport now that Boca Chica has been synchronized from Four Corners to the expressway, Garcia said.
“One of the things that our city is pushing for is ‘One City,’ which is a 15 minute city,” he said. “Pretty much from your home to any of your major destinations, to work, to the market, that we can get you there within 15 minutes. That’s one of our big pushes by our city manager.”
