Concerns grow over lack of school zone near Liberty Hill High School

LIBERTY HILL, Texas - Hundreds of people are voicing their concern about a lack of a school zone near Liberty Hill High School.

"The concern, this is the concern," said Kate Bunch as she pointed to State Highway 29. "Yeah, people drive a little crazy."

SH 29 extends off I-35, connecting Georgetown and Liberty Hill. It runs right past Liberty Hill High School.

"We have so much growth in our city right now, and people are going really fast," said Bunch. "When you don’t know that there’s a school, and you’re coming eastbound on 29, it’s a 60-mile-an-hour speed limit, so people are doing 70 to 75 and then suddenly a school just pops up, and you have to slam on your break, and it’s causing a lot of accidents."

Early this month, Texas DPS confirmed one person died on SH 29 near Liberty Hill High.

A Nissan, traveling west, veered into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle head-on. The driver of the Nissan, 48-year-old Jennifer Green of Leander, died on the scene.

The person in the other vehicle went to the hospital with injuries.

That crash is one of the many reasons Kate Bunch launched a petition to lower the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit and install warning signs along this section of the highway. 

As of Friday, Dec. 13, the petition had more than 860 signatures.

There are stoplights already near the high school, but Bunch said it’s not enough to slow people down.

"I’d like to see maybe flashing lights, saying, it doesn’t have to be a school zone, but Liberty Hill High School in one mile," said Bunch. "Any kind of warning that there are children, there are student drivers, there are parents."

TxDOT said it is conducting a traffic study and considering whether this stretch of highway meets the criteria for a school zone. The department sent the following statement:

"TxDOT is conducting traffic studies on SH 29 in the Liberty Hill area. We have a speed study, which is nearing completion, that is assessing the speed limit from east of Burnet to US 183. We are also studying whether the stretch of SH 29 by Liberty Hill High School meets criteria for a school zone.

TxDOT is coordinating with local officials to temporarily place speed trailers near the high school to remind drivers of the speed limit and their current speed. The department will also be placing school signs to remind drivers of the school’s presence. TxDOT encourages drivers to pay attention behind the wheel, drive to conditions, and follow speed limits."

Back along SH 29, Bunch hopes to see those changes soon.

"We all care about our neighbors," said Bunch. We all just want each other to be safe. Human error happens, but how can we bring down the rate of human error? How can we make it easier to not make those errors?"

To view the petition, click here.