County to publish public road-closure dashboard, allow field updates by staff and deputies

McLennan County commissioners approved a plan July 1 to publish a public-facing road-closure dashboard that county staff can update from phones, aiming to give the public and emergency services a single, up-to-date map of road closures.

County staff described the new tool, a Voci-based system, as a central repository for road-closure reports received by Road and Bridge, the county engineer's office and other responders. Staff said authorized users will log in with county credentials and can post closures or re-openings from the field, including overnight updates.

During discussion, commissioners and staff raised upkeep questions: who will be responsible for keeping the map current and what disclaimers should appear. One commissioner suggested adding a banner noting that the map shows "reported road closures" so users understand it depends on timely reporting. Staff said Road and Bridge, sheriff's deputies and other county responders can be trained to update the system from their county devices or phones, and IT will integrate logins with existing county access.

The court approved the purchase and implementation plan by voice vote and asked staff to move forward with training and a short public-message disclaimer. Staff said deputies and Road and Bridge crews could log updates in about 30 seconds from county devices, and IT will aim to make the system use the county single-sign-on.

The online map will be added to the county website and is intended to reduce the need for individual calls for closure information by centralizing updates from multiple county offices.