Following a petition which gained over 12,000 signatures as of press time, Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough announced a request to the Texas Department of Transportation to install pedestrian fencing along the Hwy. 242 flyovers at I-45 to provide additional barriers for those struggling with mental health issues.
Two-minute impact
After losing two classmates to suicide less than one year apart, College Park High School senior Lacy Tinnell began a petition on Change.org for local officials to install some form of preventative barriers along the Hwy. 242 flyover.
“This bridge is not just a place of traffic but a symbol of tragedy in our community,” Tinnell said in her petition. “We must take action to prevent it from becoming a place of return for others. Fencing the 242 overpass will not solve mental illness, but it can create a barrier. It could create a moment of pause that might be enough to save a life.”
As news of the petition gained traction, Keough announced May 5 that he made an official request to TxDOT for the installation of new barriers along the Hwy. 242 flyovers.
“These structures were not designed with that protection in mind, and it’s clear that immediate action is needed to prevent future tragedies,” Keough said in the announcement. “The addition of protective barriers is a critical step in both public safety and suicide prevention. I remain committed to working with TxDOT and all stakeholders to get this done, and to ensuring our county continues to lead with compassion, action, and resolve."
In their words
- “Behind every incident is a person—a life, a family, a community forever changed. We must do more than respond to these events; we must work to prevent them. That means investing in safety infrastructure, yes—but it also means addressing the deeper crisis of mental health both from a community standpoint and on an individual and family level,” Keough said.
- “This is not just a statistic, it is a crisis affecting our schools, our friends, our families and our community,” Tinnell said. “As a community, we have spent too much time grieving and remembering the names of those we have lost. But now, we must move past words and into action.”
On May 6, Keough confirmed with Community Impact that TxDOT had received the request and state officials are looking into potential funding options to include the project on the 2025 project letting schedule. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
The National Suicide and Crisis Hotline can be reached at 988. For local assistance, the Tri-County Behavioral Health Center operates a Psychiatric Emergency Treatment Center and can be reached 24/7 at 1-800-659-6994.
