Highway 80 Becoming a Dangerous Roadway

Highway 80 has become a high traffic roadway thanks to the continued growth of the Forney community. Unfortunately, with an increase in traffic also comes an increase in car accidents. Between 2010 and last month, there 212 car accidents and two fatalities occurred. There is no doubt that Highway 80 has become a very dangerous roadway.

One of the bigger problem areas on Highway 80 is just as you’re coming into Forney, just past the FM 460 overpass. I happened to drive in on 80 every morning on my way to work and am all too familiar with this problem area. Right after the overpass, there is a very short entrance ramp that merges directly into the right-hand lane. There is no lane adjacent to the right-hand lane that allows drivers to merge safely. This particular spot has been the most frequent cause of traffic on my way to work.

As a result of the increase in traffic and accidents, the city of Forney is preparing for improvements to the roadway. Because Highway 80 is a TxDOT road, the city has to wait for TxDOT to approve the improvements and provide funding. But the city is taking steps to expedite the process once approval and funding occur. Environmental studies have already occurred, and schematics, construction plans and engineering plans are set to occur in 2014. With all this work already done, construction should be good to go as soon as TxDOT gives the OK. It’s possible that the construction could begin in 2015, which is probably two years earlier than it would begin if the city waited on TxDOT to run the environmental tests and develop the construction and engineering plans.

The dangerous entrance ramp mentioned earlier will be demolished, and several other entrance and exit ramps will be demolished and/or newly constructed. The Broad Street exit by the Statue of Liberty is going away, and a new Pinson Road exit is coming in a quarter mile down the road to the east. And a new entrance ramp is coming in before the Pinson bridge which means the Pinson exit by Dairy Queen is going away. These are just some of the planned changes regarding entrance and exit ramps. Work will also be done on the frontage roads of Highway 80; specifically, the eastbound frontage road will be changed to be one-way.

Unfortunately, 2015 is the absolute earliest that work will begin to make Highway 80 safer. If you or a loved one is injured or killed on Highway 80 in a car accident, your injuries may entitle you to compensation. Contact Guest and Gray Law Firm’s personal injury attorneys to find out what options you have and how we can help you get the compensation that you deserve.

Our personal injury attorneys have 30 combined years of experience handling personal injury claims in Forney and Kaufman County. We’ll fight to make sure you are compensated for anything you have lost. Call our Forney office today to set up your free initial consultation at (972) 564-4644.