Harris County neighborhood has cars crash in house, pool due to speeding
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - The intersection at North Gessner and Fallbrook was supposed to be open back in February.
Precinct 1 officials say when this opens residents in Terrace Brook about two miles away won't see so many cars in their neighborhood.
However, residents in that neighborhood say this is not the only thing causing their problem.
"The neighborhood is a really nice neighborhood, but the speeding is horrible," said Terrace Brook resident Cassandra Williams. "It's not normal traffic for a neighborhood 18-wheelers are passing through."
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"We don't feel safe parking our cars on the street we don't like crossing our street we don't walk on the street," said Terrace Brook resident Christopher Guest. "We've had a light pole hit we've had a car go into the swimming pool through the backyard."
"She said there's a truck in the house. I said ‘really?’ I looked at my ring camera and I saw the truck stuck in my house," said Terrace Brook resident Bobby Ratcliff.
He believes this is due to all the traffic speeding through his neighborhood. "All day all night," Bobby said.
Where the truck came crashing through is where Tonya Ratcliff has her office. She's lucky to be alive.
"Yeah, nothing but God," Tonya said. "They drive through this neighborhood all the time going 50, 60, 70 miles an hour."
Residents blame the heavy speeding traffic on three lights, not being in sync.
It took us eight minutes to go through those three intersections which isn't far at all.
That's what drivers cutting through Terrace Brook are avoiding.
"I would like to see a stop sign installed on this street to slow some of the traffic down," said Christopher. "I'd like to see speed bumps put here if possible."
As for the intersection at North Gessner and FallBrook, Precinct 1 officials say it should open in a couple of weeks.
Precinct 1 gave us this statement:
At Precinct One, our priority is to deliver exceptional infrastructure that lifts up the communities we serve. This is why we share the frustration of the residents impacted by the delays to this important reconstruction project. Unfortunately, our first contractor filed for bankruptcy in the middle of this project, which forced us to restart the painstaking process of bidding and awarding the contract. This caused significant delays, which we have worked hard to expedite in the months since. Thankfully, this project is now nearly complete, but it’s not ready to open to traffic for safety reasons. There are critical components within the traffic lights that are not yet functional. The contractor and Harris County Engineering Department are working diligently to turn the signals on safely. Currently, it’s estimated the road will be open to the public in about two weeks.