Astate design for turn-lane improvements at what’s been called “the worst intersection in the county” got the green light this week from the City Council.
The Texas Department of Transportation is proposing the betterments for the Herff Road-River Road interchange.
Jeff Carroll, city director of engineering and mobility, presented the plan to the council on Tuesday, explaining two alternatives and the benefits of each.
Of the two plans presented, the city favors “alternative 1,” which adds dual left-turn lanes from River Road onto Herff, and creates a free-flow right turn from Herff south onto River Road.
“With the free-flow right turn, you basically have a continual green light at all times. You won’t have to stop for a light,” Carroll said.
The process involved meetings between city officials and TxDOT several times in July.
In the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s recent “call for projects,” TxDOT submitted a proposal “to do some turn-lane improvements” along Herff, Carroll told the council.
AAMPO receives federal funds for infrastructure projects and holds an application process to approve requests from area cities.
The Herff-River roads project was selected for MPO active status at the beginning of 2026, which allowed TxDOT to begin a design phase.
The schematics are just the beginning of the process, presented without cost estimates or timelines, officials said.
River Road running through Boerne is also designated as Texas 46, which means it remains a TxDOT thoroughfare; all traffic improvements must be submitted to and approved by the state.
“What a lot of people don’t seem to grasp is River Road is technically State Highway 46,” Carroll said. “State Highway 46 as well as Main Street, West Bandera and Blanco (Road) are TxDOT. We have to deal with TxDOT and their jurisdiction.”
Carroll said the crossroad was deemed “the worst intersection in the county” by a 2022 Kendall County transportation committee.
The committee noted the intersection has been known to stack cars 70 and 80 deep during peak traffic hours. The problem, Carroll said, has only gotten worse.
The city gave the intersection an “F” rating when conducting its recent Mobility Service Plan.
Alternative 1 calls for acquiring land from the Cibolo Center for Conservation for the construction of a shared-used path along Herff. The city has been in talks with The Cibolo, which also favors alternative 1.
Alternative 2 would extend the roadway inward — meaning the trees in a center area between the two Herff lanes would be eliminated, and the bridge “filled in.”
Alternative 2, Carroll said, would be more expensive as it includes bridgework and removing several big trees in the center. It would also require lane closures during the bridgework, further adding to traffic delays during construction.
The “shared-use path” alongside Herff is a federal requirement, Carroll said. The funds to support the TxDOT work are federal, requiring the paths to be added to all roadwork.
The Kendall County Commissioners Court will review the plans at its next meeting, Carroll said.
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