MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — The Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) received a $1.2 million grant to improve six dangerous intersections in McLennan County and is seeking community feedback before implementing changes. MPO is calling the project Six to Fix.
- The Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization has identified six high-traffic intersections across McLennan County that need safety improvements based on injury and fatality data collected over the past decade
- A $1.2 million federal grant will fund safety improvements at these locations, including Valley Mills Drive and Dutton Avenue, Hewitt Drive, Loop 340 and US 77, Loop 340 in Bellmead, LaSalle Avenue, and in downtown Waco
- Local resident Robert Nichols highlighted specific dangers at the Valley Mills and Dutton intersection, particularly a difficult-to-see barrier that causes problems for drivers, especially at night
- The MPO is actively seeking community feedback throughout the two-year project before implementing permanent solutions, focusing on both accident data and how people actually use these spaces
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization has identified six high-traffic intersections across McLennan County that need safety improvements after studying traffic patterns over the past decade.
The organization received a $1.2 million grant to improve safety at these locations, which were selected based on the number of injuries and fatalities.
"This intersection has been a hazard for myself and I know for other people," Robert Nichols said about the Valley Mills Drive and Dutton Avenue intersection.
Nichols frequents this intersection and described one of the dangers he has personally experienced, particularly with a barrier that's difficult to see when turning from Memorial Drive onto Valley Mills.
"At night time, if you don't know it's there, it's on ya, and it's a pretty big jolt, especially for the elderly," Nichols said.
The Waco MPO is looking for exactly these types of observations from residents as they plan improvements.
"We literally just look at how many people had been part of the accident, how many people have died, how many people have suffered serious injury. But we also look at the qualitative side of it. How are people actually utilizing these spaces? So when we say safe, that's the overall for the space," Mukesh Kumar, with the Waco MPO, said.
The federal dollars will be used at five other locations: Hewitt Drive, Loop 340 and US 77, Loop 340 in Bellmead, LaSalle Avenue and in downtown Waco.
Before any construction begins, the Waco MPO is seeking feedback from drivers, businesses and anyone who regularly uses these roads.
"Once we determine what the exact problem is based on that, we will propose a series of solutions and even at that point in time we'll go back and forth and discuss which one makes most sense, which one we think is going to work better," the MPO representative said.
For the Valley Mills and Dutton Avenue intersection, Nichols believes safety improvements could come from enhanced visibility measures.
"Color coding would help a lot with people seeing things at the driver's side and abolish that curb, it would save a lot of wear and tear on people's vehicles and safety," Nichols said.
This will be a two-year project, and the MPO is accepting community feedback throughout the entire process to help develop permanent solutions.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
