Title
An ordinance amending Chapter 9 of the City Code by reducing the speed limit from 45 MPH to 40 MPH on Scyene Road (State Highway 352) from the west city limit to IH 635, effective June 18, 2018.
Body
The design speed of the referenced roadway section and the existing posted speed limit is 45 MPH. Pursuant to a request from City staff last year, traffic-engineering studies conducted by Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) indicate an average 85th percentile speed of 42 MPH in the referenced roadway section between the west city limit and IH 635. This section of the roadway carries an average of 22,000 vehicles per day. TxDOT's studies concluded that due to high driveway densities and high pedestrian traffic, the existing speed limit of 45 MPH be lowered to 40 MPH.
Currently, this section of Scyene Road has a school zone and a designated school crossing at Fielding Drive for West Mesquite High School (WMHS). Construction is currently in progress to build Frasier Middle School, adjacent to WMHS, and is expected to open in August 2018. The two schools are expected to generate significant foot traffic, crossing Scyene Road, during the school ingress and egress times.
The referenced section of the roadway meets the criteria approved by Federal Highway Administration for the installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB), at the designated school crossing located at Fielding Drive, within the school zone. TxDOT staff has indicated that they would allow the installation of the RRFB at the crossing, pending City Council approval of the speed limit reduction to 40 MPH, in the referenced section. City staff has installed RRFB equipment at four existing high school crossing locations in the past year and found them to be effective in reducing traffic speeds at those crossings.
Financial Implications
The cost of the RRFB equipment is approximately $7,000.00. This cost is shared on a 50/50 basis with MISD, and the remaining funds are captured by t...
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