What happened
Due to its narrow, poor condition, city staff proposed to permanently close the low-water crossing.
In the last five to seven years, there have been a total of 24 accidents on CR 177, Public Works Director Gina Ellison said at the Oct. 10 City Council meeting. In 2018, there was an incident of a school bus attempting to pass through the low-water crossing while it was closed during a flood.
Ellison said there have also been several occasions of drivers cutting the gates when they are closed with the assumption that it’s safe to cross.
The framework
The following is the city’s signage plan for the proposed road closure:
- Change existing signs leading up to the section of the road on both sides to “no outlet”
- Permanently mount barricades on each side of the low-water crossing.
What residents are saying
During the meeting, several residents provided feedback to Leander officials on why the low-water crossing should stay open, citing the road being one of the only alternative routes to get to Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
“I've expressed that we currently don't have an alternative to Ronald Reagan [Boulevard], which has become really congested,” Leander resident James Pittman said. “The intersection of [CR] 177 and Ronald Reagan [Boulevard], gets backed up at times, whether it’s during rush hour or on Sunday mornings when the church lets out.”
Shayne O’Brien—pastor of RockPointe Church, which is located on CR 177—said closing down the low-water crossing would cause traffic issues for the church’s congregation.
“Although we are extremely aware of the problems with that crossing at this point, it provides an alternative second exit for our people from our campus, other than Ronald Reagan [Boulevard],” he said. “We believe that by shutting off the low-water crossing at this point, it would cause a serious safety issue for us, as well as a severe traffic issue.”
While most residents were opposed to the closure of the low-water crossing, there were two residents who were in favor due to safety concerns.
“I've addressed council before in past sessions with regards to the extreme safety issues that particular crossing continues to have,” Leander resident Kevin Popejoy said. “It's fairly a fiscally responsible decision for the city to close it for a time being.”
The action taken
Council decided to take no action on the proposed closure of the low-water crossing on CR 177.
While the date was not specified, Ellison said she will come back to council with average daily traffic counts and options for widening the road.
