Many voices can convince TxDOT to fix deadly 1431
The death last week of motorist Lucia Fonseca on a stretch of RR 1431 just outside Marble Falls was one death too many. Hers is not the first fatal traffic accident on that narrow blacktop and in that spot, which locals have come to know as Deadman’s Curve.
How many more tragedies must rip families apart before the Texas Department of Transportation wakes up and fixes 1431? Even more worrisome is that fact that within months, the Manzano Mile will open just half a mile away, the major entrance to the new Colt Elementary School.
Hundreds of parents, their children and buses will travel 1431 at least twice a day as students are dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon. Factor in the other traffic including motorcycle groups, tourists and heavy 18-wheelers hauling goods into Marble Falls on RR 1431, and the mix becomes a deadly recipe for tragedy.
This situation cannot be allowed to become another Texas 71 at Bee Creek Road, that notorious strip west of Austin that TxDOT was slow to upgrade even after dozens of accidents and fatalities occurred there. Eventually public outcries and pressure from politicians convinced TxDOT to overhaul that part of 71.
What will it take to make TxDOT realize 1431 east of Marble Falls is just as dangerous?
The answer is simple: The residents and governmental bodies of the greater Marble Falls area must petition the highway department, urging its engineers and bureaucrats to pull their collective heads out of the sand and widen 1431 so that Fonseca’s death will be the last. State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, has already asked TxDOT area engineer Howard Lyons to make widening 1431 near the Manzano Mile a high priority.
TxDOT has said the roadway meets state safety specifications. However, Fraser told The Daily Tribune a project to widen 1431 was already in the works before the fiery Nov. 28 accident that killed Fonseca, a Granite Shoals resident, about a mile east of Marble Falls.
Department of Public Safety investigators are continuing their probe, saying they aren’t sure what caused Fonseca’s 1996 Chevrolet Trailblazer to leave the road and enter a steep embankment, where it flipped and burst into flames. However, the road was wet at the time of the accident shortly before 6 a.m.
According to Fraser, the widening project faces delays because of funding woes at TxDOT. While 1431 is a state-maintained road, Fraser said Burnet County authorities pledged years ago to find the money to help make the road less dangerous.
The state is responsible for the maintenance, and the county is responsible for paying 10 percent of the costs for acquiring the right of way. The Burnet County Commissioners Court has already done their part, appropriating the necessary money to acquire right of way.
All the elements are in place to convince TxDOT this corridor on 1431 needs to be moved to the top of the list for immediate widening, a turn lane, warning flashers and even traffic-calming devices.
In the meantime, area elected officials should join forces with Fraser and add their voices to petition TxDOT to make changes to 1431.
n The Marble Falls Independent School District decided to build the new Colt in that area. They should adopt a resolution calling on TxDOT to implement Fraser’s suggestion.
n The city of Marble Falls is building the Manzano Mile, which empties onto 1431. The City Council should likewise join with Fraser and the School Board to ensure the state highway department hears these concerns and acts upon them.
n The County Commissioners are already prepared to write a check to help TxDOT with acquisition of right of way on 1431. In addition, they are currently studying transportation issues in the county. Using their influence to convince TxDOT to get to work on 1431 should move to the top of the commissioners’ agenda.
Fonseca died a horrible death. Any changes TxDOT makes to that road won’t bring her back. But the highway department is also in a position to help prevent future tragedies.
In the months to come, hundreds of children and their parents will be using that narrow, two-lane stretch of road to get to the new Colt. TxDOT officials have the power to safeguard their lives by starting road improvements today. This newspaper has called for years to correct this dangerous road.
Local officials and residents can do their part by joining Fraser, contacting TxDOT and registering their views about how dangerous 1431 East has become.
Ranch Road 1431 is no longer some sleepy little lane that leads to a tiny Hill Country town. Marble Falls has grown up and traffic has kept pace. The highway department needs to do its part to keep motorists safe.