Maverick County Commissioners Court approves Resolution requesting immediate attention to dangerous Loop 480 & El Indio Highway intersection
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015
Maverick County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a resolution calling for the immediate attention to the dangerous traffic conditions found at the intersection of Loop 480 and FM 1021 (El Indio Highway) at their meeting held on Monday, December 14, 2015. There have been at least two fatal auto accidents at this dangerous and highly congested intersection since its opening.
Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo opened up agenda item No. 34 and noted the need to call the appropriate state authorities’ attention to this very dangerous traffic intersection needing remedial action by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Judge Saucedo read the resolution being considered for approval by Commissioners Court as follows: “Whereas ,Maverick County Commissioners court wishes to ask the Texas Department of Transportation Laredo District (TXDOT) and State Representative Poncho Nevarez as well as State Senator Carlos Uresti to actively intervene to prevent any future accidents and deaths at the intersection of Loop 480, Segment 2 and FM 1021 (El Indio Highway) within the jurisdiction of Maverick County; and Whereas, it has become a necessity for TXDOT safety engineers to develop justifiable and doable measures thereby preventing any accidents on the aforementioned road intersection; and Whereas, this intersection constitutes a major thoroughfare due to an increase of motor vehicle traffic from an increase of population to the southern section of Maverick County and due to an escalation of vehicular flow from the only casino in Texas which is located in this area: and Whereas, because of this populous growth there is also an increase of school bus activities which demands vehicular traffic measures; and Whereas, we strongly assert that TXDOT needs to provide increased tactical audible and visual awareness to prevent any further lethal accidents.”
Commissioners Court approved agenda item No. 34’s resolution unanimously.
Loop 480 registered its first fatality accident on January 2, 2013 as Eagle Passan Martha Alicia Jimenez Mata, age 62, died as a result of the injuries sustained in a single automobile head-on collision with a metal utility pole at the intersection of Loop 480 and El Indio Highway (FM 1021) and leaving two minor children seriously injured and airlifted to San Antonio, Texas.
On November 9,2015, the intersection of Loop 480 and El Indio Highway recorded its second fatality accident as Mark Rogers, age 60, of Corpus Christi, Texas was killed and another female passenger seriously injured in an auto accident with an Eagle Pass Independent School District bus. The school bus driver also was injured. Fortunately, there were no children on board the bus at the time of the accident.
Maverick Countians and visitors to the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino have complained to Commissioners Court about the large volume of traffic found at this key Loop 480 and El Indio Highway intersection in southern Maverick County and the dangerous conditions motorists encounter while driving through this intersection. Maverick County has already contacted TXDOT’s Laredo District Office to investigate and study immediate measures to alleviate the dangerous vehicular conditions presented by this intersection.
