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Commissioners discuss County Road 298 abandonment, emergency access and contract to secure turnaround
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Summary
Freestone County discussed abandoning County Road 298 past a locked gate, emergency-access provisions with private landowners, and directed staff to prepare formal abandonment paperwork while authorizing work to secure turnaround access across private property.
The court debated a long-running access issue where County Road 298 ends at a locked gate and ties into private property on County Road 295. Commissioners discussed emergency access, maintenance responsibility, and legal abandonment under the Texas Transportation Code.
A committee member noted that a gate has blocked the road for an excess of 20 years and said the code suggests the county may have lost maintenance rights. Court members described negotiating language with the private landowner (referred to in the transcript as Blue Lake Properties/formerly owned by Bonner) to secure county access for turning equipment and emergency vehicles, and discussed including emergency clauses to allow access in critical situations.
The court directed staff to move forward with preparing formal abandonment paperwork and authorized a contract based on information presented in court to document that County Road 298 stops at the locked gate and to clarify access terms. The court discussed that if the motion requires legal confirmation, they will run it through proper legal channels. No roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript; direction to proceed was made by motion and voice approval.
Court members emphasized that emergency access and clear mapping of where the county maintains or relinquishes responsibility are central to the agreement and future maintenance obligations.
