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School bus safety concerns on FM 624 near Calallen

Residents say there is not enough signs to alert drivers of possible stops buses make along FM 624.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — FM 624 is a busy strip of road on the outskirts of Corpus Christi that is raising some safety concerns for parents and school bus drivers.

Residents say there is not enough signs to alert drivers of possible stops buses make along FM 624, making it dangerous for everyone on the road. 

For nearly 20 years, Joe Quintero has lived in front of FM 624. He's seen firsthand how drivers quickly pass buses stopping to transport children, even with his own child on board.

"I've sat here and seen cars just go 75 mph and then as soon as they see the bus, they hit the breaks and I mean they barely stop, " he said. "Some of them don't."  

Quintero said as a parent he's concerned for the students' safety. 

"The early part of the school year when it's still dark out, that's very big concern because the buses come from County Road 781 northbound and then they got to make the turn left and stop right here in front of my house," Quintero said. "So yeah it's a big concern, signs definitely would help."

Nueces County Constable for Pct. 5 Sergeant Valerie Garza has pulled over several people on FM 624 for not stopping when a bus is stopped.

"Some of things I hear from the motorist are, 'I didn't know I need to stop, it's on the opposite lane of travel,' " she said. "What they don't understand is there's nothing dividing, so students could actually get across and try to get from point A to point B."

Garza hopes signs will be installed along FM 624 to keep everyone safe. 

"To put up more signs over on the eastbound of 624 & 81 just to notify motorists that a bus may or may not be there unloading or picking up students." she said.

3NEWS reached out to TxDOT to see what steps community members can take to get the safety feature in place. Officials said there's a process to install new signage and when it comes to school-related signs, any concerns should be addressed with the school district who will then notify TxDOT.

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