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Residents urge paving of Buddy's Lane; commissioners say cost and jurisdiction limit immediate action
Summary
A resident asked the court to convert Buddy's Lane (County Road 1556) to asphalt to improve safety and emergency access; commissioners said the project is under review, noted high per‑mile costs, and explained jurisdictional limits mean the responsible precinct and engineer must evaluate funding and feasibility.
A resident appealed to Dimmit County commissioners for an asphalt conversion of Buddy's Lane (County Road 1556), saying repeated grading and erosion produce dust, vehicle wear and interfere with emergency access for a neighborhood with multiple families and pedestrian traffic.
"Buddy's Lane is located on County Road 1556...it's one of those out of sight, out of mind type of roads," the resident, Jamie, told the court, asking commissioners to consider a long‑term asphalt investment similar to recent work on Bettis Drive. Jamie described safety concerns for pedestrians and emergency response.
Commissioners acknowledged the safety concern but said comparable resurfacing projects cost hundreds of thousands per mile; examples cited included Bettis Drive and other recent county work that required large allocations. The court’s road official noted Buddy's Lane is longer than some projects and that funding cycles and existing priorities mean engineering study is required to determine scope and funding sources.
No motion was taken; staff said they will continue engineering review, check petitions circulated by residents, and consider potential funding through future road seals or other county allocations. The court also clarified commissioner precinct jurisdiction over roads, noting a precinct commissioner has primary authority over roads in that precinct and that countywide assistance depends on commissioners' court projects and funding availability.
Why it matters: paving a rural lane affects emergency response times and long‑term maintenance costs; commissioners will weigh capital cost against other county road priorities.
