From the cover
$10.23M raised median project begins on FM 1488
Two-minute impact
directional control.” According to TxDOT data, the number of vehicles on FM 1488 just west of Westwood Square East Drive jumped 31.5% from 27,133 in 2013 to 35,683 in 2022. Mike Kelton, who owns Treehouse Cafe on FM 1488 and Hunger Crush Cafe on Hwy. 105, said he believes adding a raised median will make tra c congestion worse by lessening the amount of space available for drivers to turn left, causing tra c to back up in the main lanes.
Rob Eissler—executive director of the Westwood Magnolia Parkway Improvement District, which collects sales tax near the FM 2978 and FM 1488 junction to fund infrastructure and public safety projects—said he believes the median is needed. “The growth of the area has increased the tra c density in our area, which has increased the dangers of travel on FM 1488, especially when there is a center lane that goes both ways,” he said in an email. “This is often referred to as a ‘suicide lane,’ as many accidents and near-accidents occur due to the lack of clear-cut
The FM 1488 project began in July after its start was delayed due to the same contractor—ISI Contracting Inc.—working on a similar raised median project along Hwy. 105, Flores said. While construction has yet to begin on the medians, TxDOT is working on truck loons, which add pavement to help trucks make U-turns, he said. The project is estimated to cost $10.23 million, according to a December update from TxDOT. Alongside the median, TxDOT proposes ve new tra c signals along FM 1488, according to maps of the proposed improvements.
FM 1488 improvements Key Proposed traffic signal Proposed raised median
Daily vehicles
Daily vehicles
Traffic on FM 1488 near Westwood Square East Drive
Traffic on FM 1488 at west of I-45
2022 48,952 2013 40,523
2022 35,683 2013 27,133
+20.8%
+31.51%
149
Forest West St.
1488
45
Sweetgum Ln.
Thousand Oaks Boulevard
2978
Daily vehicles
Traffic on FM 1488 near Spur 149 2022 17,908 2013 14,928
Scan the QR code for a detailed map of the project limits
+19.96%
and proposed raised median.
N
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
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