The Woodlands Township board of directors received and acted up a traffic control study from Harris County following two accidents in the past six months at the intersection of Kuykendahl Road and Creekside Green Drive during a Nov. 17 meeting.
Residents from Creekside Village spoke during the public comment section of the meeting to express frustration and concern with the safety of the intersection.
Tina Liu, an engineer with Harris County Engineer Department, said the study had to be delayed until school was back in session following the incident in May to get a better sense of accurate traffic numbers.
“We recommend [improvements to] the geometry of the road. .... People tend to shoot the left turn because they are waiting for so long. By tightening the intersection, we hope to reduce that tendency,” Liu said.
Liu said immediate improvements include expanding the existing reduced speed school zones, replacing existing static school zone signs with flashing signs, painting new pedestrian crosswalk markings and working on operations on the intersections light signals to give pedestrians better opportunities to get through the intersection before vehicles get a green light.
Harris County Precinct 4 is moving forward with the engineer department’s recommendations, and some improvements are anticipated to be completed by the end of November.
The township board unanimously accepted the study and recommendations.
Liu added her department recommends having Harris County constables to enforce the 40 mph speed limit in the area.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said there would be challenges to deputies covering the intersection due to its size.
“It would take about six deputies,” Herman said. “That is about all I have.”
Deputies would be serving in extra shifts at an anticipated cost of around $400,000 per year to pay for the added shifts.
Director Bruce Rieser noted there is a pedestrian bridge proposed for the area at a cost of around $1.1 million and asked about next steps for considering the project.
“Hopefully you feel we are moving in the right direction,” township Chair Gordy Bunch said.
