Commissioners press developer on truck routing, citing school safety and Keller Hicks queuing risks

Commissioners pressed the developer and civil engineer on how truck traffic would be routed for the Hicks and Harmon addition and whether measures could prevent trucks from queuing on Keller Hicks. A commissioner asked whether the annexation agreement or site plan addresses truck traffic onto Keller Road and how entrances are designed; the civil engineer responded that entrances have a 30-foot inside radius so fire trucks and semis can make the turns.

Raul Savala, the civil engineer for the project, confirmed the site plan shows three access points to Highway 35 and two to Keller Hicks and said there is no access planned to Harmon Road. A developer representative said TxDOT permits for deceleration lanes and travel entrances are secured. Commissioners warned that if trucks began queuing on Keller Hicks it would be “severely disruptive” to local traffic, and one commissioner highlighted concerns because an elementary school is just north of the property, noting that pickups and semi trucks do not mix well. The developer warned that overly restrictive access limits for Keller Hicks could make the project infeasible: "If we had limitations of Keller Hicks, the project, would not work." The commission did not adopt a truck-restriction regulation during the meeting; commissioners indicated they expect continued coordination with engineers and the applicant as the project moves to council review.