Council raises speed limit on East 100th to 35 mph, trims highway speed and restricts school-area parking
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Summary
After hours of debate, Odessa council approved changing the East 100th Street speed limit to 35 mph, agreed to reduce a portion of South Highway 385 to 65 mph, and adopted targeted no-parking rules near schools and in parts of Stony Ridge Road.
The Odessa City Council voted May 20 on a package of traffic ordinances: it raised the posted speed on East 100th Street from 30 to 35 mph, reduced the posted limit on a segment of South Highway 385 (Loop 338/US 385) from 70 to 65 mph under a TxDOT request, and adopted several no-parking zones that include restricted hours near Odessa High School and additional restrictions on Stony Ridge Road.
Public safety officials and engineers presented the measures. Joe (city traffic/engineering staff) said an engineering speed study showed the 85th-percentile speed on East 100th was about 40 mph and that the street is classified as an arterial; the study informed the recommendation to increase the posted limit rather than keep it at 30. Deputy Police Chief Matt Davidson told council the roadway’s width encourages speeding but enforcement has produced temporary compliance.
Residents opposed raising the East 100th limit, saying a new neighborhood now fronts the road and that wide lanes and dips encourage dangerous speeds; one resident, Dallas Kennedy, asked council to consider a 35 mph limit rather than 40. Council members debated traffic-calming alternatives, longer-term overpass construction, and enforcement realities. After discussion the council moved to set the East 100th limit at 35 mph.
On South Highway 385, TxDOT requested a reduction from 70 to 60 mph; council moved instead to lower the limit to 65 mph following a motion and a recorded vote that passed 5–2.
Council also approved a no-parking rule on McKinney Avenue (8 a.m.–5 p.m. on school days) near Odessa High School and extended no-parking restrictions on portions of Stony Ridge Road to address safety concerns where vehicles park on sidewalks and block sight lines.
Council members asked staff to pursue longer-term design and traffic-calming work (striping, potential narrowing and overpass projects) and to coordinate enforcement with police.
