What happened
Cars using the golf club bridge—located near the intersection of Village Green and Village drives—to bypass roadway traffic began in about 2004, City Manager Austin Bleess said. The bridge is about 30 years old and does not receive Texas Department of Transportation inspections since it is not a public road, he said. The bridge also has a weight limit of 5 tons, and is not quite wide enough for two cars to use at once, according to July 15 meeting documents.
On July 15, council expressed safety concerns about the bridge being opened to cars versus pedestrians and golf carts.
“There's a state law which prohibits people from cutting through a parking lot, and that law exists for a reason, because introducing large amounts of additional traffic to a parking lot where there are pedestrians ... is a recipe for disaster,” Mayor Bobby Warren said.
City leaders and council will be looking for ways to remedy traffic near the golf course bridge in other ways, such as retiming the traffic lights along nearby streets, Mayor Pro Tem Michelle Mitcham said.
“I think it's an accident waiting to happen, and I think we would be remiss in not addressing the safety concerns just for the convenience of a few,” Mitcham said.
Diving deeper
Traffic counts in 2018 show that an average of 744-1,300 cars each day passed over the bridge, according to July 15 meeting documents. In the last five years, the number of golfers walking around the Jersey Meadow Golf Course has increased.
City leaders took a community survey on the golf course bridge traffic issue with about 330 respondents, according to meeting documents. When respondents were asked if they were in favor of closing the golf course bridge and expanding Village Drive “to accommodate traffic,” 50% voted "no" while 25% each responded “yes” and “maybe.”
The background
Council last discussed the bridge during its April 22 meeting, but no decision was reached. On April 22, Jersey Village residents spoke for and against closing the Jersey Meadow Golf Club bridge to automobiles.
