New traffic lights coming

New traffic signals are coming to intersections along FM 2325.

The intersections with Jacob’s Well Road and Valley Springs Road are both getting traffic signals. The Valley Springs Road light is currently under construction. The light at Jacob’s Well Road is expected in 2019.

“Typically, signals are checked against a list of criteria,” Chris Bishop, with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said. “If they meet at least one of those, they qualify for a signal and then they look at how it fits into the overall traffic plan. You don’t want them on a curve, or on a hill where it is hard to see. You have to make sure they work to do the right thing. But with all the growth we have in the area there are a lot of folks moving.”

Traffic signals are warranted based upon the volume of the major and minor roadways as required in the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. “In addition, we look for an intersection to have the geometric conditions necessary to give approaching drivers adequate sight lines for stopping,” Bishop said. “We started working on ideas to improve these two intersections in Sept. 2016.”

Jacob’s Well met the volume requirements for the four-hour and peakhour volumes on FM 2335. This traffic signal will cost $150,000. It is being built through the TxDOT 2019 traffic signal construction project.

Valley Springs met the criteria in January 2017 based upon peak hour traffic volume only. Since the time that the study was performed, the new ball fields have come in along with the bus barn so the amount of side-street traffic has grown.

“We are also building pedestrian crosswalks as part of the traffic signal that will service students walking / driving to use the new sport facilities,” Bishop said. “This signal was funded by the Hays County Road Bond as a standalone project.”

Bishop said that they expect to have the traffic signal at Valley Springs on 7-day flash mode near the end of June with full activation of the light starting by mid-July.