CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid called an emergency meeting Friday over the public safety concerns along Highway 77.
TxDOT crews in Ricardo are working to improve and expand the highway as part of the I-69 corridor. However, a number of recent accidents had the judge calling for action to slow traffic down in that construction zone especially as school is set to open in the coming weeks.
"We’ve had folks in multiple accidents, I think we’re up to seven accidents in the last week. Totally unacceptable," Madrid said during the emergency meeting.
Signs are currently in place letting people know about the construction and to slow down.
"Speeds need to be dropped more just in that area, people are not judging cars coming at them right and they’re going a lot faster than they think and they’re pulling out and getting hit," Commander Danny Lorberau with the Kleberg Co. Attorney’s Specialized Crimes and Drug Task Force said.
The TxDOT area engineer out of Alice then told the group they can’t drop the speed any lower.
"We were told as far as our construction speed reduction that we did, 50 was the lowest we could take it to," area engineer with TxDOT Alice Eric Martinez said.
That’s why County Judge Rudy Madrid is asking Gov. Abbott for an emergency declaration that would force TxDOT to drop the speed to 35 through this small community.
Ricardo school Superintendent Gina Garza is hoping for real solutions because school starts soon.
"Students are going to roll into our building and we are going to welcome them on August 8th, so we need a solution and we need it quickly." Garza said.
Law enforcement officials who were at the meeting included DPS, Kleberg S.O., Kingsville Police and constables; all pledged to do their part in patrolling Highway 77 in an effort to slow folks down there.