Commissioner shakes head at lack of urgency by TxDOT
(Guadalupe County) — The intersection of FM 1044 and FM 78 east of Marion has reported yet another accident.
This latest accident comes just eight days after the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court approved a resolution urging that the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) seriously consider moving up its plan to install a traffic-control signal at FM 1044 and FM 78 just east of Marion.
Just before 4:56 p.m. Wednesday, a truck tractor-trailer crossing over the tracks into the intersection was struck by a train. Guadalupe County Sheriff’s officials say the Texas Highway Patrol investigated the crash. Although no one was injured during the accident, officials had the area closed off up until midnight.
Again, angered by this crash is Commissioner Pct. 4 Stephen Germann. Prior to voting on the resolution on January 23, Germann stated, “It’s unfathomable what is going on in this intersection. We are having a collision right now every two weeks. Most of the time, they are a three-car collision. A few years ago, two people were killed. I’ve been told by TxDOT these things take time. I told TxDOT, the person dying in their car just ran out of time.”
Immediately following the accident, Germann says he went out to the scene. He says it’s just heartbreaking that TxDOT is not prioritizing this need.
“I got the word from Harvey Faulkner, the constable because he has been calling me, and my initial thought when I drove up, all the first responders looked at me and said, ‘please help us,’ and I said I am trying. I am losing my patience real fast. The first thing I thought when I drove down the road was I saw the locomotive on the tracks and I thought well there’s a train engine here that just hit someone and that has to be traumatic for him. But in talking to people, I’m like, this is just another collision 16 days after the last one, and someone is going to get killed,” said Germann.
Germann says even after this latest wreck, TxDOT notified his office that it was not budging and was sticking to its timeline for installing a traffic light.
“The crash query that I have for the last two years prior to this is 49 wrecks in two years. So, we are staying on that pace. I got an email this morning (Thursday) that TxDOT is going to stay on their pace. One study alone is six months. Someone is going to get killed. Just for one part of the study is six months. That is not putting the signals up. That’s not buying the equipment. That is just part of their study alone is six months – another year at least. One year is 25 wrecks,” said Germann.
Germann says even he himself works to avoid that intersection and cringes just driving through that roadway.
“It disrupted the traffic movement. It disrupted Union Pacific, the work they needed to do because they had to split the train in the middle and the train sat there until they could clear the crash site. So, it’s costing everyone a lot of money. If a business was run the way that this is being handled, that business would be out of business,” said Germann.
In addition to approving a resolution, the county forwarded a petition to state leaders that included 1,000 signatures from residents who also want to see the project expedited.