Eagle Drive

About a year and a half ago, the citizens of Mont Belvieu voted for a bond measure which would redo Eagle Drive. Not just resurface, but completely reconstruct. Right now it's in pretty sore shape. The traffic volume at peak times is significant. So it's time. It's also a good time because the traffic on the road is expected to double in the next several years. No one can say we're not progressive around here! We're forward thinkers.

Part of the discussion surrounding Eagle Drive centers on the typical section of the road. Right now, there is a center turn lane (referred to alternatively as a two-way left turn lane, or more colloquially as a suicide lane). These kinds of roads are OK for rural roads that experience low traffic.

The City Council directed the designing traffic engineer to look at a boulevard section with a large median. This median will be thirty-six feet wide in most locations. It will be attractively landscaped. It will be raised to divide the direction of traffic into separate lanes. This will also accommodate future growth - two lanes of traffic may ultimately be added decades from now if/when the need demands.

Studies have shown that traffic is able to move smoother and with fewer accidents with a landscaped center median. It is going to take some time for folks to get used to the new road, but once the road is in place and functioning well there should be little or no problems.

Anecdotal evidence from nearby communities is no basis for a reasoned objection. There have been poorly designed roadways in the area. This will not be one of those. We have sufficient right of way to design a good road, median, and even a good sized sidewalk on both sides of the road. Surely we can learn from good and bad examples of roadways in the area...

I am interested in what you think... Stay tuned for announcement of public meetings or feel free to drop me a line or email.

Here's a link to an interesting article about this exact phenomenon:

http://www.urbanstreet.info/2nd_sym_proceedings/Volume%202/Self.pdf