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Council approves $57,115 traffic engineering study after Lewisville ISD school closure
Summary
Following the Lewisville ISD decision to close Highland Village Elementary, council approved a $57,115 traffic-engineering contract to study route and intersection impacts for students reassigned to McAuliffe and Heritage. Council debated alternatives including TxDOT school-zone requests and school-district coordination before the 72D0 vote.
The Highland Village City Council voted 72D0 on March 25 to authorize an agreement with Maldonado Burkett LLP for professional traffic-engineering services to study traffic pattern changes after Lewisville ISD voted to close Highland Village Elementary.
The contract is for $57,115 and will examine how about 347 displaced students will be reassigned and routed to McAuliffe and Heritage elementary schools, whether additional city or TxDOT infrastructure changes are needed, and whether signal timing, school-zone changes or other mitigations should be recommended.
Why it matters: council members and residents expressed concern that moving an elementary school population could concentrate morning and afternoon traffic at already constrained points in the city. The study will provide count-based analysis and recommended infrastructure or operational changes that the city and school district can use in planning and, if warranted, for capital improvement budgeting.
Council debate and alternatives considered: council members and residents argued both for and against commissioning a paid study now. Some members said the school district had indicated it was developing bus routes and other mitigation plans and that TxDOT can be asked to extend or modify school-zone speeds without a study. Others said parents and residents wanted a formal engineering analysis to identify infrastructure needs and to develop a coordinated plan with Lewisville ISD and neighboring Flower Mound.
Mayor Charlotte Wilcox and council members asked staff to seek available information from LISD on proposed bus routings and drop-off plans and to discuss whether the district would share data or cost. Several council members suggested lower-cost, immediate steps the city could take, such as requesting TxDOT extend school-zone limits and adjusting signal timing during peak school hours. Council members also discussed operational measures such as opening a school gate, additional crossing guards and enforcement for e-scooter and micro-mobility safety.
Public comment at the meeting highlighted broader concerns about Texas school funding and the impact of school closures on neighborhoods. Antonella Longo and Georgiana Bustos, residents who spoke at the meeting, urged continued local advocacy for public schools. The council heard multiple questions from members about whether the district had already finalized bus routes and whether the city27s prior traffic studies or TxDOT counts would be sufficient.
Next steps and implementation: the study will collect traffic counts, examine pedestrian and bicycle routes and consider school-pickup operations. Staff will request existing routing and schedule data from LISD and coordinate with Flower Mound and TxDOT as part of the consultant scope. The study27s findings may identify capital projects or operational changes that would require future council action and funding decisions.
Ending: Council approved the study after a lengthy discussion about timing and alternatives; several members said they expected close monitoring of school-related traffic when the school year begins in August and reserved the option to bring additional measures forward later.
