A New Stop Light is Coming to Grande and Old Noonday Road in Tyler, Texas
Shout out to the City Council of Tyler, Texas!
On Wednesday, they voted to approve the building of a new traffic signal at West Grande Boulevard and Old Noonday Road in Tyler.
I understand some don't want a traffic signal there. After all, not all that long ago, Old Noonday Road was more of a pleasant "backroad" through some gorgeous East Texas countryside. However in just a few years, the development back there has significantly increased traffic as more and more businesses and homes are being built in this area.
This "new" stretch of Grande has become part of a major traffic artery in Tyler now.
That's why some of us think this is a great move. Last October, we shared an article related to this very intersection. Although we didn't have the hard data, we'd spoken to many that shared the dangerous traffic encounters they'd had there. My own mother had a pretty intense collision there, and I personally heard of at least 5 others. You can get more of the specifics on that here.
But now, thanks to a press release from the City of Tyler today, we have that hard data.
According to the City of Tyler's press release, there was a "traffic signal study completed in 2021 [that] revealed the intersection showed the amount of traffic during eight and four-hour time periods [and] warranted a traffic signal.
Additionally, crash history data from the intersection showed there were eight crashes at the intersection in both 2019 and 2020."
That's not surprising to many of us. Here's why:
There's a little hill in the road for drivers on Grande going West to East that makes it difficult to see people pulling out. That means if they're going really fast, it's dangerously difficult to slow down.
When you're on Noonday trying to cross Grande going N or S, it's also difficult to see drivers on Grande flying around the hill/bend in the road. Of course, turning left is a challenge.
But even a basic right turn is anxiety-inducing, lest someone plows into the back of you cuz they're starting at their phone or whatever. Whatever the scenario, putting a stop light at this intersection is a HUGE priority for public safety.
So THANK YOU, Tyler City Council, for authorizing the City Manager to move forward on this.
The project is going to be executed with Yonne Newman Engineering, Inc and is projected to cost close to $45,000. They anticipate it will take about 6 months to complete.
The press release added that "this project was approved in 2020-2021 Half-Cent Work Plan and is contingent upon approval of funds at the next Half-Cent Sales Tax Board meeting."
Are there any other intersections in ETX that you feel need a stop light?
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