City, TxDOT looking into traffic light at Montgomery, Hwy. 16 S

The city of Graham, Graham Police Department and TxDOT are looking at the impact a traffic light at Montgomery and Hwy. 16 S would have on safety in the area. Within the last six years, GPD  has reported 22 vehicle wrecks which have occurred near the intersection.

According to TxDOT, traffic signals can cost between $80,000-100,000 to install depending on the complexity of the intersection. Electrical power must also be provided to the signal 24 hours a day and the signal is required to be maintained for operation. Upon receiving a request for a new traffic signal the local district office of TxDOT conducts an engineering and traffic study of the proposed location.

To justify the new signal being placed at the location, traffic conditions must meet at least one of eight minimum requirements listed in the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD). Examples of information used during the studies include amount of traffic on major and minor streets, pedestrian activity, number of school children crossing the site, crash history at the location, delay to existing traffic flow, size of the community and speed of traffic approaching the intersection.

Graham Police Chief Brent Bullock enlisted local Graham TxDOT Engineer Zachary Husen for the study who sent challenges that would arise with a traffic light at the intersection. Some of the concerns were the severe angle of the Packing House Road intersection, conflicting turn movements southbound into United Supermarkets and northbound in Whataburger as well as a lack of parallel pedestrian facilities, gap of pedestrian crossing between Brazos Street and Pine Tree Road.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Aug. 10 edition of The Graham Leader.