As death toll rises, they demand TxDOT make fixes
Narrow lanes, blind spots, sharp curves and mounting deaths have led to a groundswell of outcries from residents and local officials urging the Texas Department of Transportation to make Texas 46 safer for motorists.
In Kendall County, a petition urging TxDOT to widen 46 has amassed more than 1,000 signatures. The organizer of the petition also wants Kendall County Commissioners to demand the state highway agency conduct a Road Safety Audit and commit to funding improvements.
In Bandera County, commissioners have also asked TxDOT to prioritize safety upgrades to the twisting, hilly lanes of 46 from Texas 16 to Interstate 10.
TxDOT officials have said current planned improvements through 2029 include repaving and the addition of turn lanes, but do not include a center median, officials said.
Following the March 24 fatal head-on collision near Enchanted Springs Ranch on March 24, Kendall County resident Brad Dobson launched a petition drive calling on TxDOT to prioritize expanding 46, a change that “will not only alleviate traffic congestion but also enhance safety, improve the efficiency of local transport, and boost economic opportunities in the region.”
The petition — https://www.change.org/p/widen-state-highway-46-between-boerne-and-pipe-creek — states 46 “is a vital corridor in our daily lives, yet it remains dangerously narrow and inadequate for the ever-increasing traffic it supports.”
The highway “has seen a concerning rise in vehicular accidents, which could often be attributed to the narrow lanes lacking sufficient shoulders for safe passage or emergency stops,” the petition adds.
Signers urge TxDOT to prioritize widening the roadway.
“Implementing this change will not only alleviate traffic congestion but also enhance safety, improve the efficiency of local transport, and boost economic opportunities in the region,” the document states.
In a past appearance before the Kendall County Commission, Clayton Ripps, TxDOT deputy district engineer for the San Antonio region, described improvement options — including a third-lane for turning or passing — and more immediate short-term solutions, such as speed monitoring, and more presence of officers and patrols.
Between 2019-2024, TxDOT reported 337 total crashes on 46, six of those involving fatalities.
“For a state highway with similar traffic volumes, that’s twice the national average. That puts it in perspective with similar roads across the country,” he said.
“Speeding is the no. 1 driving force behind these fatalities,” he said.
Dobson said he is fed up with what he described as the lack of response from the state agency, inactivity only exacerbated every time another death occurs on the 11-mile stretch linking 16 at Pipe Creek with I-10 in Boerne.
“Is widening Texas 46 the answer? I don’t know. Is installing a center turn-only lane the answer? I don’t know,” Dobson said last week. “Are center-lane barriers the answer? I don’t know. But the fact we keep having deaths and nothing’s being done, is not the answer.”
He is also urging Kendall County commissioners to put more pressure on TxDOT to create the betterments along the roadway.
Meanwhile, Bandera County commissioners April 7 approved a resolution calling on TxDOT to make upgrades on 46, citing rising traffic volumes and a history of deaths.
Bandera County’s resolution states 46 is “totally inadequate to handle the volume of traffic between State Highway 16 and Interstate 10 in Bandera and Kendall Counties,” adding TxDOT has received numerous requests for action “without any firm commitment or timeline for resolution.”
According to crash data from TxDOT’s Traffic Safety Division covering the 46 West corridor between 16 and I-10 West from 2016 through March, there have been 550 reported crashes, including 10 fatal wrecks resulting in 13 deaths, with an additional 44 people seriously injured.
More than half of the fatalities — eight of 13 — involved head-on collisions, and 10 of those occurred within the past five years.
Dobson’s petition states 46 “remains dangerously narrow and inadequate for the ever-increasing traffic it supports. Traffic congestion has become a frustrating and daily reality for residents, commuters, and travelers.”
As the region’s population swells, traffic will only increase, making it imperative for the state to begin upgrades, the petition notes.
Signers also left comments. One woman noted, “I drive from Lakehills to Boerne, and back, every single day. This road terrifies me. I refuse to drive it with my kids in the car. Something needs to be done now!”
Another signer who said his girlfriend and his father died on the roadway after being involved in a head-on collision also urged TxDOT to start enhancements on 46.
“If only there was a center divider, they might still be alive and with us today. The fact that TxDOT has not made this highway safer is unacceptable,” the relative said, adding speed bumps and making the road wider will help, too.
“If Texas is too cheap to save lives, I’ll come get my hands dirty and help do the work myself,” he concluded.
Another person noted the roadway is bedeviled by a lack of shoulders, sharp curves and blind spots.
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