King Announces Plan to Make Bethel Road Safer

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Weatherford – Today State Representative Phil King announced that a joint effort between his office, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and Parker County would lead to increased safety for drivers on FM 1884 (Bethel Road) in Parker County.

King laid out a three-pronged plan that will be implemented this month to increase the safety of Bethel Road. The first two parts of the plan are short-term measures. King sent requests to local law enforcement offices including the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) requesting increased patrolling and enforcement of the dangerous road. DPS has already responded that they are stepping up patrols immediately. Additionally, the Texas Transportation Commission will vote later this month to decrease the speed limit on Bethel Road from 60 miles per hour to 50 miles per hour.

The third phase of the plan is a long-term solution. With the cooperation of Parker County, TxDOT plans to install 8-foot shoulders along Bethel Road along with turn lanes in a couple of places.

King explained, “I’m very pleased with the cooperative effort between the state and county to come together to develop a solution to keep drivers safe on Bethel Road. The narrowness of Bethel Road combined with the high speeds many travel on it with has made the road dangerous. I’m confident that this comprehensive solution will force drivers to slow down and create a safer environment for everyone traveling the road.”

TxDOT will begin the next step in implementing long-term improvements on Bethel Road by developing the detail design. Improvements to the 6.5 miles of Bethel Road from B.B. Fielder Drive to the end of Bethel will cost approximately $6.3 million. The project is anticipated to be awarded to a contractor by late 2011.