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Council and staff fault communication after sudden one‑way detour for Hughes Road work
Summary
Council members criticized a sudden change to one-way traffic east of Highway 3 that caused a 12‑mile detour and confusion; the city manager accepted responsibility for insufficient public notice and staff will improve outreach.
Council members and staff spent a substantial portion of the meeting addressing resident complaints and council concerns about a recent switch to one-way traffic east of Highway 3 tied to Hughes Road construction. Council members said the change created long detours, inadequate signage and safety concerns where portable traffic signals were used; one council member called the handling "rather poorly" and described cars trapped between equipment.
City staff and the project consultant explained the one-way configuration allowed two contractor crews to work simultaneously and that sight-distance and portable-signal limitations made the arrangement safer for construction staging. The city manager accepted responsibility for communication shortcomings: "When it comes to the communication, hey, that falls on me. That's my fault. I'll take the blame for that," the city manager said, and said staff will do better about advance notice and using the city's notification systems. Staff also reported they had just received a permit from TxDOT to bag the existing signal heads.
