Montgomery County residents and business owners are calling it a highway headache.
There is a 13-mile-stretch of SH 105 that is undergoing a safety update.
TxDOT says they are installing medians for safety and lowering the speed limit from 55 to 45. The project started earlier this year but only a few miles have since been completed. Now, residents are fed up with the delays.
“As a taxpayer, it makes me angry because the road was fine,” noted Tim Reid.
“I wish this has never happened,” explained Cataline Zajick of the Naked Turtle Tavern. Zajick says she is not only annoyed but angry about the construction delays and safety concerns with this project.
“It aggregates me,” noted Zajick. “I’m losing money for myself, the bar is losing money. It’s awful. A lot of businesses have also been affected. We are usually packed at nighttime and nobody wants to come here anymore because it’s crazy. A lot of people didn’t know what was happening and last night they turned left out of here right away which is dangerous.”
She explained that on her drive home from work Wednesday evening, another driver hit one of the barrels on the road and it flew underneath her car, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
“My bumper is out, and something is leaking everywhere. I don’t know what to do,” she explained.
She says the construction is affecting not only business and her commute but also causing her anxiety on the road.
“I knew as soon as it started it would be problematic and it’s been chaotic, absolutely chaotic. You don’t have that much visibility with the lighting at night, and the lanes just change, and they don’t give you a fair warning,” noted Zajick.
Other locals like Tim Reid say what is supposed to ultimately make a road safer is in fact making it more dangerous than ever.
“They just added the barricades and started shifting the lanes over and you can’t tell where the lanes have shifted and where you’re supposed to drive,” explained Reid. “That’s very confusing from a drivers standpoint, and it’s also going to cause some accidents out there.”
But even more than the ongoing headache from construction, both Reid and Zajick say this massive project doesn’t seem like it was even worth it.
“It’s absolutely insane,” said Zajick. “I don’t understand the reason behind it. It makes no sense to me”
“I understand to a point because there have been a lot of fatalities here. But I believe it they could have added patrols and set up radar,” said Reid. “With the lowered speed limit it’s going to be a long drive to get into Montgomery. And if they’re going to drop it to 45 you’re going to have a lot more people speeding down that stretch of road.”
TxDOT says the project is on hold and they don’t have any idea when it will get started again. The contractor is having a supply issue and there’s no saying when what is needed will be available.
You can check the status of any project in Texas on TXDOT’s website.
According to the website, the project is expected to be completed in December of 2022 but they say it will likely go well into 2023 with the pace construction is moving at right now. Their advice is to drive slowly, be patient, and be attentive in all construction zones.