‘It’s a mess’: Why residents feel trapped by unsafe roads in northwest Fort Worth
On Old Decatur Road, students walk to and from school along drainage ditches mere feet from passing cars because there are no sidewalks.
It’s the same on Bowman Roberts Road, a two-lane road running next to Saginaw Boswell High School, where students dart into traffic because there are no crosswalks.
Roads in northwest Fort Worth aren’t keeping up with the area’s rapid growth, putting pedestrians and motorists in danger. Residents say their children can’t walk to school safely, and want the city to fix roads they say have long been neglected.
There may be some help coming though, as city hall considers where to invest an additional $48.9 million in proposed bond funds.
The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district, which covers Saginaw and northwest Fort Worth, is growing at 1,200 students per year, and is in a part of the city that grew by 76% over the past decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Southeast Fort Worth, the second fastest growing part of the city, grew 26%.
There are crashes on West Bailey Boswell Road all the time, said Lana Stephens, president of the Twin Mill Farms Homeowners Association. She attributed this to faded road markings, lack of reflective dividers, and poor road conditions.
There were 154 crashes over the past five years on West Bailey Boswell Road, according to Texas Department of Transportation. The majority of these crashes were at the intersection of Bowman Roberts Road, near Boswell High School and Twin Mills Boulevard.
“It’s a mess, and it’s kind of like you’re trapped,” said Becky Daffern, whose daughter, Riley, is a senior at Boswell.
Daffern said she doesn’t let her daughter drive down West Bailey Boswell unless it’s absolutely necessary. On one of those absolutely necessary occasions, her daughter t-boned a car trying to make a left turn at the intersection of Bailey Boswell and Twin Mills Boulevard..
“There were babies in the car that she hit, and coming over the hill all I could see were police cars, firetrucks and ambulances, and you know, your heart’s in your throat,” she said.
In September, Boswell students and brothers Isaiah and Elijah Lopez died in a car accident near the same intersection.
Since then the city has increased motorcycle police patrols and began to install a temporary traffic light at West Bailey Boswell Road and Twin Mills Boulevard. It is expected to be completed in early 2022.
“The city hasn’t done any improvements on the majority of our roads ever since they’ve been built,” said Ryan Smith, president of the Northwest Fort Worth Neighborhood Alliance.
Smith said he has been repeatedly told there’s wasn’t enough money to fix the roads in northwest Fort Worth, however, he said he has received more response recently by joining other neighborhood leaders to lobby the city.
“We’ve got to be a louder voice than some of the other groups in the city, and we’ve been told that, but it’s a shame that it’s whoever screams louder now gets the most attention,” Smith said.
City staff proposed adding $48.9 million to the 2022 bond package to fund road construction and maintenance.
District 7 council member Leonard Firestone, whose district includes northwest Fort Worth, said $30 million of the additional funds will be dedicated to that part of the city.
While the final list of projects is still under discussion, Firestone pointed to a list of high priority projects in the area presented during a City Council work session on Dec. 7. Five of those projects include fixes to West Bailey Boswell Road and Bowman Roberts Road.
There is also $10.7 million for fixes to WJ Boaz Road, which Stephens said needs sidewalks and street lighting.
Firestone acknowledged development in northwest Fort Worth has outstripped the roads’ ability to handle extra vehicle and pedestrian traffic. He said the council is more aware of these problems now and is being more conscious of the effect that development has on existing roads.
Firestone said the council is considering policies that would look at the wider effect of new development. He said a policy that requires developers to only widen roads or put in sidewalks near their development needs to be revisited.
Fort Worth has known about these problems for at least a decade, Jim Chadwell, who’s been the Eagle Moutain-Saginaw superintendent for the past 12 years, wrote in an email response to questions from the Star-Telegram.
Chadwell was heartened by the proposed investments in the 2022 bond package, but said the city needs to take quick action to prioritize safety in the fastest growing part of the city.
“The current plans do not indicate an immediate response to these needs, but rather a loose timeline that will take decades to complete,” Chadwell wrote.
Action can’t come fast enough for Becky Daffern.
“Our kids are all over the roads in that area every day, and it could happen again. It could be happening right now,” she said.
The city is still deciding which projects will make it into the bond package. The council has until Feb. 8 to finalize the list before the May 2022 bond election.
It’s not clear when work could be completed even if fixes for West Bailey Boswell are included in the bond election. A spokesperson for Transportation and Public Works said the city typically likes to complete bond projects within a four years, but couldn’t give any indication when any of the northwest Fort Worth projects would be finished.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 5:15 AM.
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