LYONS, Texas (KRHD) — Business owners and officials worry about the risk of deadly accidents at the intersection of FM 60 and SH 36 in Lyons.
Watch Tyler talk to neighbors about their concerns:
"I mean it's every day there's a close call and it's basically, I don't wanna exaggerate but, every other week or every week there's one, you know, one accident happening here," said Noe Sanchez, owner of Valley Tires Tire Shop located at the intersection.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says that the intersection has had four reportable accidents so far in 2025.
On Wednesday morning, another crash took place.
"He got right in front of the 18 wheeler, the 18 wheeler not trying to, you know, cause a fatal accident, veered off into the side of the road, almost getting into the rails, the railroad track," Sanchez said. "So yeah, that was a pretty bad accident."
Sanchez tells 15 ABC that he feels the recent expansion of FM 60 to four lanes has actually increased the number of accidents.
"So it was only the 2 lanes [and] you did have your accidents, right, but whenever they opened up the the road, that's when we noticed that the accidents started happening a little bit more," Sanchez said.
The intersection remains unfinished, creating confusion for drivers.
"They need that guidance…It's pretty much proceed at your own caution, you know, the way that the lights are set up right now," Sanchez said.
Part of a statement that 15 ABC got from the Texas Department of Transportation, or TxDOT, says the following:
Because the intersection is near a railroad, coordination between TxDOT and the railroad is required so the traffic signal and railroad devices can properly function together when a train approaches…We estimate that the signal will be fully operational as soon as it can be coordinated with the railroad.
"They think it's a stop sign and they just, you know, they're expecting for somebody to stop but you know they're going 60 MPH, so that's when you know everything happens," Sanchez said.
15 ABC asked Sanchez what concerns him the most right now.
"What concerns me here is, you know, getting a fatal accident. Yeah, I wouldn't want for that to happen...We've had pretty bad accidents but it's just, you know, it's like a ticking bomb, you know, it's bound to happen."
Burleson County Sheriff Bill Rios shared with our community that they know this is a very dangerous intersection and will stay on top of the issue until the lights are fully functional. In the meantime, he urges everyone to be careful.
The full statement that 15 ABC got from TxDOT is below.
A fully operational signal (red, yellow, green phases) is intended for the intersection of FM 60 and SH 36. The signal is currently functioning as a flashing beacon (yellow flashing lights on SH 36 and red flashing lights on FM 60) until coordination with the railroad is finalized.
Because the intersection is near a railroad, coordination between TxDOT and the railroad is required so the traffic signal and railroad devices can properly function together when a train approaches. Until coordination with the railroad is complete, the signal will function as a flashing beacon, which is similar to the way the intersection functioned before the start of the 4-lane divided project.
We estimate that the signal will be fully operational as soon as it can be coordinated with the railroad.
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