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Socorro leaders and residents press for faster safety work as TxDOT outlines road projects
Summary
A resident described repeated crashes at a family home on Socorro Road as TxDOT projects and timelines — including roundabouts, signal retiming and speed feedback signs — were presented to Socorro City Council. City staff said the highways are state-owned and that the city is working with TxDOT and the MPO to pursue funding.
A Socorro resident urged the City Council on Tuesday to speed safety fixes after repeated crashes through her elderly mother’s fence, while city staff reviewed a list of Texas Department of Transportation projects and studies planned for Socorro Road and nearby corridors.
The public comment came from Patsy Nelson, who said cars often run a curve near her mother’s house at 10228 Socorro Road and repeatedly damage the property. “My mom’s an elderly lady. She’s on a very limited income,” Nelson said. She said collisions have happened “about maybe 23” times over the years and described a recent crash while the family was at a hospital bedside.
The council then reviewed a presentation of TxDOT projects provided to the city. A city staff member summarized completed and future work: completed speed-limit reductions and corridor studies (February 2022), signal retiming on Socorro Road, Alameda and North Loop, installation of a rectangular rapid flashing beacon on Farm Road 258 (Socorro Road) in Apodaca, LED warning signs, speed feedback signs and striping and markings. Planned work includes a full mill-and-inlay on Socorro Road, roundabouts at Socorro Road and Belen and at Beaufort, raised medians, sidewalks and lighting on Rio Vista Road, and safety improvements on Vineyard Drive and Passmore Road. Staff listed project “let” dates ranging from July (this year) to January 2028 for various segments.
City staff told the council the state performs some bridge inspections but also noted that some bridges in the area are city-owned and city-maintained. Staff said the city is working at the Metropolitan Planning Organization level to secure funding so projects won’t come out of the city’s operational budget.
Why it matters: the projects and studies affect safety for residents along Socorro Road and adjacent streets and include physical changes — roundabouts, medians, sidewalks and speed feedback signs — that could reduce crashes where residents have reported repeated damage to private property.
Council members and staff repeatedly acknowledged that Socorro Road is a state highway, limiting the city’s authority to act unilaterally. Staff emphasized the complexity of state funding and environmental reviews that schedule multi-year timelines for construction.
The presentation concluded with staff saying they will continue coordination with TxDOT and the MPO and that some improvements already under contract or completed should arrive in the coming months and years.
City response and next steps: staff said they will continue to pursue funding at the MPO level, coordinate required studies with TxDOT and follow up on resident complaints through police and traffic channels. No formal vote or ordinance resulted from the presentation; the council moved on to other agenda items.
