Here is the exact text of the Transportation Commission's motion:
Move to recommend to the Town Council approval of the Morriss/Gerault Capacity Improvement Project with the following design, engineering, and implementation elements as follows:
(1) the project be designed and constructed in one phase with a recommendation to the Town Council to prioritize improvements to intersections and safety features;
(2) during design the Town will identify visibility issues that may create safety problems and identify solutions that consider both impacts and benefits, including access issues;
(3) explore improvements and enhancements to the below grade crossing;
(4) replace existing perimeter screening fences with the Town-standard wooden fence, and/or explore other fencing options and other methods to mitigate sound impacts;
(5) install trees, sod, irrigation, and decorative plantings in the medians and rights-of-way, with the focus being on the full-width median sections;
(6) commit to establishing the lowest lawful speed limit throughout the corridor;
(7) program the installation of any new warranted signals;
(8) enhance the pedestrian routes throughout the corridor, specifically for school-related pedestrian activity to include pedestrian actuated flashers, reviewing the location of school cross walks, and reviewing with Lewisville Independent School District the pedestrian and vehicular access at schools;
(9) consider ideas that will address safety issues near any schools in the area;
(10) that Town staff review additional input from neighborhood groups, convened for the purpose of additional input during the engineering and design phases of the project;
(11) and that median pedestrian barriers be considered in the design of the project at all areas deemed high pedestrian areas, as determined by professional staff.
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Additional FYI for those who were unable to attend. Staff presented a 2 phase construction schedule:
ReplyDeletePhase 1 = Gerault/FM2499 Flyover; Intersection improvements for all of Morriss/Gerault; begin landscaping of all of Morriss/Gerault; pave 6 lanes on Gerault from FM2499 to FM3040
Phase 2 = Everything else.
There was no citizen input supporting a 1 phase construction schedule. The Commissioners decided on a single construction phase because [paraphrased] "it is going to happen anyway, let's just get it over with". It will also reduce construction costs slightly (but the current project cost estimate is already $4M under the funding).
So I guess this means that Morriss is going to be a 6 lane highway. Makes me so SAD. Another road bites the dust. Flower Mound is turning into highway heaven. It seems they only care about all the towns around us and not the citizens who live her. I'm thinking it's time to pack up and get the heck out of dodge!
ReplyDeleteI would like to see a comparison between the support this project has gotten from the people in town versus the opposition to it. If there hasn't been much in the way of support for it outside of the Council, I don't understand where they get off going forward with this.
ReplyDeleteThe Transportation Committee approval does not, let me repeat that...... DOES NOT make this a done deal. I think that it is very important that people understand this project, the widening of Morriss/Gerualt has many different components. Now is not the time to feel defeated.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that we are not going to be able to stop all of the Morriss/Gerualt construction, but that was not the intent in the first place. Some of the improvements, like making intersections more functional, are good ideas.
The reason I participate is to insure that our neigborhood remains a safe and welcoming part of the community; to insure that changes to Morriss are done in a manner that keeps our children safe and our neighborhood beautiful.
It is essential that we remain involved. If we do not participate in an active way who knows how the town will attempt to implement this project.... . and from what I can tell they have not had the east side of towns families best interest at heart.
Don't forget...... this is political. There is big money involved. The people who want this expansion are not going to make it easy. They want us to feel defeated so that we will stop trying.
It is essential to keep coming to the meetings. Keeping informing your friends, family and neighbors about what is going on with Morriss. Keep being involved....... It is more important then ever to let our voices be heard!!!!
-Diane C.
Good post Diane. I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteStay active and stay involved!
What about getting more citizen support at the next meeting, which is the Town Council in June, correct?
ReplyDeleteI received an email from Tom Hayden to make sure we all come to the June 15th meeting. Keep spreading the word and get your neighbors involved.
ReplyDeleteThis is far from over. I've heard some people say, "It doesn't matter what the Town does, there are a dozen people who started StopMorriss6 who won't be satisfied with anything other than keeping things exactly as they are." Nothing could be further from the truth!
ReplyDeleteWhether it ends up 6 lanes or not, the real issue here is that while we ARE being allowed to speak, but we ARE NOT being listened to.
I don't know why, I believe our current leadership is composed of good people who do care about Flower Mound, so I am bewildered why they are trying to bypass us. I know some people are upset that we are raising objections now instead of 2 years ago... well, we didn't know about it 2 years ago!
The Town citizens who live on Morriss Rd have a fundamentally different vision for it. And "we" are not the 10 to 15 people who actively post on this blog, or just the 69 followers of this blog. "We" are the 10,000+ people who live within 400 yards of Morriss. "We" are the 40% increase in voters in precincts east of FM 2499 (a increase by a factor of 10 in some neighborhoods). "We" are the hundreds of petition signatures collected. "We" are the parents I talk to at my kids' schools who have major concerns about the safety of their community and the character it will have in the future. "We" are Flower Mound and our concerns do matter.
Jeff Tasker, council member: “Think about how silly the notion is that you can’t amend the master plan.”
ReplyDeleteAfter Tuesday nights meeting, how can you say we haven't been heard? I am starting to think that this group will only be happy if the road is stopped. The harsh reality is, the road is happening. Maybe I am just not clear on what the objective is anymore. Could someone in the leadership please explain it to me?
ReplyDeleteIf you have ever been even in the car on the highway, or even a road with more than two or three lanes, you will notice the driver is much more aware due to the increased traffic. This is for the obvious reason of their own safety. Could this same being cautious not apply when driving on a 6 lane road?
ReplyDeleteCertainly the safety of children is a concern, however, many safety precautions can be taken (and some already are taken), including, but not limited to, a school zone in the area, more crossing guards, and asking the kids to take more personal responsibility to cross the road. Even if none of these measures were taken, and if this were that major of a concern, they would be, the kids would still be incredibly safe due to the increased awareness of the drivers as talked about in my first paragraph.
Expanding on my paragraph above, the amount of children walking to school in the Morriss road area is low. If the parents are so incredibly concerned about their safety, as well as a bunch more kids suddenly start walking to school, what then? Why, the parents will have to take a mite more personal responsibility for themselves to take their kids to or from school, or even let them ride the bus or something.
Your community will not suddenly become filled with trash or majorly unsafe simply because there is a larger road nearby.
While I am all for the children being safer, I simply do not see why you want such overprotective measures to be taken for YOUR kid. If you are so worried about them, walk them to school, drive them to school, maybe have them walk an alternative route if you think it will be so terrible.
Somewhere, somebody is going to bring up drunk driving and new drivers. I will now address both of those points.
Drunk drivers will, even if they go on that road to go on a drunken rampage or swerve around like a fool, many or all of them will be late night and not when your kids are going to school/going home.
New drivers will probably be recommended to stay away from that road or will stay away from the road for their own safety and the safety of others. As well, they are likely overly cautious, and with the area being a school zone, they will be pulled over if they are using their phone.
Also, somebody else will argue that their kids play in the street. (I myself have seen this many times.) However, those same children should not be playing in the street regardless. I mean REALLY. Tell them, "Remember- Don't go on the street." Punishments are very helpful for reducing bad behavior, but there is a certain technique in order to make sure the children know how and when they will be punished. The next paragraph goes over this, feel free to skim it.
Step 1- Tell them straightforward the thing not to do. (EX- Going to play in the road.) Step 2- Outline a punishment. (Be creative, but not too harsh. They will become unruly if your punishments are overdone or underdone.) Step 3- Give reasons as to why there will be a punishment. This step is especially important because children and adolescents tend to disobey if there is no real danger or reason to being told not to do something. (EX- "Don't touch the balloon," They will immediately want to touch the balloon, as they are now curious. If told, "Don't touch the balloon because the balloon will disable all electronic devices belonging to you," many kids will avoid the balloon in order to not be punished.)
In conclusion, the driver's awareness will be increased necessarily on their part automatically simply because of their own sense of self-preservation. This will help protect your children simply because they will A- Be more aware of your children. B- Not suddenly burst into a gigantic fireball and AIM towards your kids like you think they will, or even C- have your KIDS notice the increased traffic and have them take more measures to be safe. Many of your fears are unfounded. The children will be safe.
The 6 lane bridge over Timber Creek was built in 1984 with the intent some day of expanding the entire road to 6 lanes. At that time, Flower Mound's population was about 5,000. Now it is 65,000.
ReplyDeleteFolks we have a tidal wave of traffic headed in our direction from the north on 2499. Once 2499 is connected to I-35 just south of Denton, we will have more traffic on that road that we could have ever imagined. The expansion of Morriss Rd. is critical to offset that tidal wave.
The decisions made by the Tranportation Commission were made on behalf of the entire town, not just the dissenting 1% of our population.
I make it a point to read all P & Z and Town Council agendas prior to the meetings and have been doing that for years. It does not take a lot of time, but it will keep you informed as to what is happening in town.
Please remember that Flower Mound is only a 48 year old community with about only 1/2 of our land developed. All of us need to keep informed about the growth of our beloved town. I encourage you to do so.
I have lived off of the Morriss corridor since 1988. Poor planning and lack of proaction to town growth leads to such debacles as 2499 and Kirkpatrick. Growth is inevitable and cannot be stopped. It is better to encourage a nicer, safer Morriss expansion rather than trying to stop it altogether. The nightmare that would result would make nobody happy. Lack of expansion isn't going to make the traffic go away.
ReplyDeleteAs far as safety is concerned, I see no rule dictating that a 6 lane road = terrible safety in a school zone. Lewisville High School is located off of a major 6-lane thoroughfare and has very little if any safety problems concerning Main Street. Why should we assume Marcus will all of a sudden become a danger zone?
I appreciate people's action regarding beautifying the project and making sure the coucil sees the safety needs of the road. But please keep the bigger picture in mind and do not let your activism blind you to the needs of the town. Having moved here in 1988, I was fully aware of master plans on the books, having done my research as a responsible citizen. If you move into a home affected by growth plans on public record and choose not to do your due diligence, who isn't doing their civic duty?
Nice to see a current Town Councilman and Transportation Commissioner chime in, for what it's worth.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the psychologist who posted a lesson in child behavior, I would first say, raise your kids how you want and leave me alone, I don’t need your input; thanks anyway.
What complete dribble, you seriously need to get out more and breath some fresh air.
Good Lord.
Why do you think everyone that is in favor of expanding is either on the Council or Transportation Board?
ReplyDeleteCompare the public record to the posting and you will find the similarity. If you are too lazy to do the work I can post it for you. Remember why we are here in the first place, because we didn’t know what the Town officials and servants were saying, let alone, what they were doing. Wise up if you’re going to post here.
ReplyDeleteI say to be fair lets put a 6 lane road in West Flower Mound. Connect Bridlewood to Justin Road. Looking at satilite photos they'd have to buy up 10 homes and the land on a empty field next to Justin road. It was built for 6 lanes too, and they even put in 30 foot setbacks for the nice expensive homes where they'd not have to go into the setbacks just take out their nice median. Clearly someone thought that out vs the idiots that did not enforce this along Morriss. Planning for a 6 lane road and building like it was never going to happen are clearly at odds with each other.
ReplyDeleteThat would take traffic off 2499 and negate any extra traffic that may traverse Morriss. Also connect Garden Ridge to Lakeside it's about 300 feet from the end of Garden Ridge through some trees to make that connection. You'll have plenty of N/S roads to serve the populace.
Also far west flower mound will use 1171 to 377 and 35W to get South even to DFW as it's a shorter route and better roads 377-114-121-DFW or even Dallas.
Course it all goes to the same place 2499 and 121..
What we need is a bridge across lake Grapevine connecting to 121-114.. the true funnel is 2499-121..
Mr. Butler: your last post was not only rude it was uncalled for. The poster asked an honest wuestion and weren't the rules of this blog that all opinions and thoughts were welcome. I guess not in your book. I too had the same question as the poster and your answer not only shows your iggnorance, but your bitterness as well. The leadership may want to re-think your role in Stop Morriss 6 before you take it down all together.
ReplyDeleteI know my mom told me..."See, I told you if you didnt eat your spinach you would need those glasses". Its idiotic to say that if your fault for not knowing the road was going to be six lanes when you bought your house. When I bought my house, you could get an inning or two of stickball in on Morriss Rd before a car drove by. As was stated by a long time citizen of Flower Mound at the Trans Comm public beating, I mean meeting, In 1981 or whenever they planned the road to be 6 lanes, the city was being run by just ordinary citizens who had no knowledge or experience in town planning, let alone scientific facts that the town would need this 30 years later.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteMr. Butler: your last post was not only rude it was uncalled for. The poster asked an honest wuestion and weren't the rules of this blog that all opinions and thoughts were welcome. I guess not in your book. I too had the same question as the poster and your answer not only shows your iggnorance, but your bitterness as well. The leadership may want to re-think your role in Stop Morriss 6 before you take it down all together."
First off, stop with the Mr. Butler nonsense, my name is Bob, my Dad is Mr. Butler. And now on to our regularly scheduled program:
My answer to you and Mr./Ms. Anonymous before you is simple because it's the same answer the Town Council and Transportation Committee gave us. You should attend more meetings and get informed, it’s not the Town’s fault that you don’t pay attention. Apparently it’s not anyone’s job in Flower Mound to inform you of anything that is said or done, you need to do the research yourself.
And as to your statement about my “iggnorance” (just wanted to get the spelling right) and bitterness. Kim is welcome to ban me from the blog at anytime as he is the Administrator. I sure hope he does it before I “take it down all together”.
I didn’t start the StopMorriss6 group and I don’t run it either, I just say what I think on here, much like yourself. So if you don’t like what I have to say or I offend you, then maybe you should do one of the following:
A: Stop reading this blog.
B: Take a sensitivity class.
C: Run for Town Council and have me banished to Never Never Land.
D: Understand that the Town Officials don’t care what you or I think.
E. Take responsibility for yourself and don’t rely on me or others to inform you (although I am happy to do so).
F: Get involved with this and other pressing issues our Town/City is facing.
G: Post under your real name and join the real world and not just use your keyboard and monitor to voice your opinions.
H: Stop letting the Town tell you what is best for you and your neighbors.
Shall I go on?
It’s still a free country (I think), stand up and be heard for Pete’s sake, you don’t have to be told what to do, just do what you know is right. And please, don’t be offended by my post, it’s not meant to be rude, just truthful and that’s not always easy to accept.
Bob