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Residents and council press TxDOT issue after video shows flooding at North & Texas Avenue median
Summary
A resident showed video of heavy rain pooling at North and Texas Avenue and urged the council to remove or redesign medians that may be causing backups; councilmembers said they are working with TxDOT and engineers but noted the project is complex and costly.
A resident presented short video footage to the City Council showing significant standing water and flow backups at the North and Texas Avenue intersection during a heavy rain event and urged officials to address medians she said were causing the problem.
Karen Hall told council the footage shows that water entered nearby businesses during the storm and that, once the city is notified of a problem, it can become financially responsible for resulting damages. Hall suggested placing a nonbinding ballot item or pursuing state infrastructure bank financing if the city needs funds.
Councilmembers responded that staff and TxDOT have been engaged on medians for more than two years and that the issue is more complicated than it appears from the footage. Councilman Edge noted the medians project originated as a TxDOT safety funds project and requires engineering drawings that show any removal or redesign would be at least as safe as the current configuration; such drawings must be stamped by qualified engineers. City officials said they are seeking options with TxDOT and that cost and required engineering approvals are significant constraints to immediate removal.
Council directed staff to continue coordinating with TxDOT, engineering staff and public works to identify feasible corrective steps and to report back on options and cost estimates.
The mayor and council acknowledged resident frustration and said the city will continue pursuing solutions within statutory and funding constraints.
