College Station residents express concerns over medians and safety on Greens Prairie Rd

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -Residents living along Greens Prairie Road in College Station are expressing their concerns about ongoing construction in the area, citing both inconvenience and safety issues.

They say the installation of raised medians has forced some drivers to make dangerous U-turns and in some cases drive over the medians just to reach their homes.

The city began that portion of the road winding project last year, but residents argue that the situation has worsened since the installation of medians, lane closures, and traffic shifts.

Laura Sanders and her husband Glen Richards, who reside along Greens Prairie Road and Whites Creek Lane, say they have been facing significant challenges when it comes to entering and exiting their driveway.

“We feel inconvenienced and we feel like it’s an unsafe situation,” Sanders said. “This summer they decided to shut down the whole side of the road next to our home, meaning that if you’re coming from Wellborn Road, you cannot get into my house.”

Aside from the inconvenience caused by potential disruptions in mail and Amazon deliveries and trash pickup, the residents’ primary concern revolves around safety during emergencies. Sanders expressed worry that emergency vehicles might face difficulty navigating the turns.

“My main concern is going to be if we have a fire or any emergency. Any emergency vehicles probably couldn’t make the turn,” said Sanders. “It’s just not safe and the possibility of a fire, um, we wouldn’t be able to get a vehicle in here to put it out.”

The safety concerns raised by Sanders and other residents became real when their neighbor Jenny Hobson experienced a medical emergency two weeks ago.

“13 days ago I had an emergency and at that moment it was just my pain on my right side and it turned out to be a burst in my appendix,” said Hobson. " My husband, who is disabled, cannot drive. He told me, let’s call the ambulance.”

“The USPS cannot find me. I don’t know if the ambulance is gonna find me. So I decided to drive myself to the clinic and from the clinic to the emergency room,” Hobson added.

KBTX took Sanders and Hobson’s concerns to the city.

The city of College Station issued a statement acknowledging the residents’ grievances.

Despite the city’s response, residents are uncertain whether the measures taken will be sufficient.

“They need to open up this road, on the side of our road so that we can have a passageway through. It’s not a complete answer, but at least it is a little bit safer for us if we can come in from Wellborn and come into our homes,” Sanders said.

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