Traffic updates, Celina Record

Parking to be axed on Ash, speed limit upped on Preston in Celina Lisa Ferguson, lferguson@starlocalmedia.com Mar 17, 2016 Changes are coming to a pair of Celina roadways. East Ash Street, which recently underwent major renovations, will soon have a designated no-parking zone between Preston Road and Oklahoma Drive. The change “is designed to allow for the proper traffic flow for two cars to pass at one time” along the road, which is only 24-feet wide, according to Alan Fourmentin, the city’s assistant director of public works. During the project, which was completed late last year, curbs and gutters were added to East Ash Street. Wastewater line rehabilitation and storm drain improvements were also undertaken. “People used to kind of pull off in the yards” to park, Fourmentin said. The road and drainage improvements “kind of minimized the amount of parking area, so when two cars are trying to pass each other, you can’t do it right now, it’s just too tight.” Another concern is the ability of emergency vehicles to quickly and safely access the road and structures adjacent to it, he said. The street’s narrow width measures the same as designated fire lanes found at most schools and commercial buildings, according to Celina Fire and Police Chief Mark Metdker. It’s an issue the departments face when traversing many of the city’s older streets. “We really didn’t have any say on emergency access back a hundred years ago or whenever these streets were originally” constructed, Metdker said. “Fire engines and ambulances were much, much smaller back in the old days. Now they’re much larger and do a lot more, are more versatile.” When parking is allowed on one or both sides of a street, Metdker said, “Our fear is … if we have to get a lot of these large fire trucks or ambulances down into the area, we’re going to be impeded because of people parking in the streets and we just feel like that’s not good for the citizens.” Fourmentin said no-parking signs should be installed on East Ash Street in coming weeks. However, that won’t be the last time issues on East Ash Street will be addressed. The long-term plan for the road is to transform it into a four-lane thoroughfare, which Fourmentin said will likely happen in the next 10 to 15 years. “It all depends on the growth of the city, of course,” he said. Meanwhile, new speed-limit signs will soon be erected along Preston Road between Farm-to-Market 1461 (Frontier Parkway) and FM 455 (Pecan Street). The signs will clearly mark the designated 55-mph speed limit on that stretch of the road. It’s the final detail following the completion of a major expansion project on the southern section of Preston Road, which wrapped up last year. During the construction, the speed limit was lowered from 55 mph to 50 mph for workers’ safety. Once the project was complete, Fourmentin said Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) conducted a traffic study and determined the average speed on the road is 55 mph. However, some signs reading 50 mph remain. “There’s gaps in there,” Fourmentin said. The alternating speed limits have proven confusing for drivers and frustrating for law enforcement, Metdker said. “The whole section dropping down to 50 is kind of a pain for everybody really,” he said. “It’s confusing. It doesn’t need to be. There’s no reason for it.” The signs will be provided and installed by TxDOT at no cost to the city, Fourmentin said. The signs should help make the speed limit known to all drivers on Preston Road, Metdker added. “This way it’s going to remain 55 (mph) from (U.S. Highway) 380 almost to Gunter, where it turns to 70 (mph), so that means that all the way through Prosper and all the way through Celina the speed limit won’t change, so it won’t be confusing for people and the enforcement I think will be easier for us,” he said. “Now that the construction is over, let’s get it back to where it needs to be and move on.” Follow the Celina Record on Twitter @celinarecord.