By Alyssa Chrisope
There are already five stop lights along University Avenue between 19th Street and Marsha Sharp Freeway, but the city of Lubbock is considering another one.
Residents and employees at stores near the intersection of Mac Davis Lane and University Avenue have mixed opinions, emphasizing both safety concerns and increased congestion along University Avenue.
Sharmon Owens, Lubbock’s traffic engineer, said the city’s traffic engineering department received a request for a signal at the intersection. This prompted to department to do a study, looking at the numbers of crashes at the intersection, as well as the numbers of cars and pedestrians going through it.
The intersection passed the test for needing a stoplight because of the amount of traffic.
“For the pedestrians to go across the street, they need the right of way,” Owens said. “Of course, right now there is a legal crossing there, but there is just not a signal to stop traffic and give them the right of way.”
The busy intersection at MacDavis Lane and University Avenue. Alyssa Chrisope for The Hub@TTU.
The Citizens Traffic Committee will review the study and vote on the proposed traffic signal.
This meeting was originally scheduled for Oct. 18, but had to be postponed until Nov. 15 due to a lack of quorum. Business owners and other community members are invited to voice their opinions at the meeting.
If the new traffic light is approved, Owens said the city would aim to complete the project by the start of the 2017 football season, which is an achievable goal.
“We have engineers in our traffic engineering department, and they go out and decide where the signal arms are going to go,” Owens said. “After three or four months of design, there is about four to five months of construction.”
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