During the May 13 City Council meeting, city staff reviewed the process of developing mobility improvements.
The overview
Director of Engineering and Mobility Jeff Carroll said the city maintains 83 miles of roadway, representing 232 lane miles.
While the city maintains streets within the city limits, TxDOT maintains the major thoroughfares and roadways that run through the community, including Main Street, West Bandera Road and River Road.
Due to TxDOT operating these roads, intersections such as River Road and Herff Road must be supported by the organization.
“Anything and everything to do with this intersection is up to TxDOT,” Carroll said.
Carroll said over the course of a few years, multiple grants for the River Road intersection have been denied, but TxDOT has submitted a project to do work in the existing right of way. If funding is approved, it will be done between fiscal year 2026-27 and fiscal year 2029-30.
The approach
When it comes to city projects, Carroll explained that the city policy is to follow warrant requirements, which are defined in the Manual of Unified Traffic Control Devices. This manual is utilized by cities across the nation to ensure traffic control devices are similar.
Data needed for a warrant analysis includes:
- Traffic volume data
- Pedestrian volume
- Crash history
- School crossing data
- Speed study
- Roadway geometry
Carroll said the primary benefits of a roundabout are the reduction of conflict points and the ability for traffic to keep moving.
“Roundabouts aren’t perfect for every single intersection,” he said. “Roundabouts have a warrant analysis too.”
City Manager Ben Thatcher staff has been intentional when maintaining roads covered by the city, and staff will continue to work toward mobility improvements.
“There is a lot that we are able to do, we are doing, but there is always more we could do,” he said.
