Drivers Say Highway 114/I-35W Construction Is A Safety Hazard
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS) - Along Highway 114, near the Texas Motor Speedway, some families say they worry about getting in an accident everyday. Crews are working on a new bridge in the area – all a part of the Highway 114 expansion west of Interstate-35W.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) created a u-turn, but residents say that's part of the problem. Drivers have to cross it and busy Highway 114.
Drivers say they now have to cross the u-turn, quickly slam on the gas to get up to highway speed, and then in about 100 yards suddenly hit the brakes to turn and get into their neighborhood.
"It's just scary," area resident Patty Hardt said. "I totally avoid it during rush hour."
The concern is shared and growing among neighbors.
"There is no safe way for us to get into our neighborhood," Chris Crowley said plainly. "There's no turn. There is no yield. There are no stop signs. There's no red light."
Crowley and other's say another problem is the 60 mph speed limit.
Driver Amy Fox said just trying to get home can be unnerving. "When you have to turn left and a rock hauler is coming by it rattles your entire car and sometimes you wonder if your going to have a car left."
She and other's say they expect high speeds at nearby Texas Motor Speedway, but not in a construction zone in front of a neighborhood entrance.
"Sixty miles per hour is just too fast," says Fox. "I'm worried I'm going to get rear-ended with my daughter in the car."
The families say they fear close calls and their luck running out. Crowley said, "I think our family and us take a risk going in and out of our neighborhood every day."
TxDOT spokeswoman Michelle Releford with TXDOT says the bridge construction will be complete in about a month. When CBS 11 News asked her why the speed limit was never lowered during construction she said the city or county never made the request.
Releford says after the bridge is open TXDOT will work on a study to see if a stoplight is needed in the area.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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