HOUSTON – The city of Houston is weighing approval of a $13 million project to overhaul Telephone Road, addressing long-standing safety and infrastructure concerns that have made the corridor one of the city’s most dangerous stretches for drivers and pedestrians alike.
KPRC 2 has reported 32 crashes on Telephone Road this year, including two fatal crashes this month alone. The proposed $13 million investment — which still requires council approval — in part would fund street repairs, crosswalks and sidewalks along a portion of the road.
Funding gap leaves south section behind
If approved, millions would be directed toward one end of Telephone Road. However, south of Loop 610, no funding has been secured yet.
Houston City Council Member Joaquin Martinez, who represents District I, is pushing for the improvements.
“As you can see, these are east-west streets, three going west, three going east, several cars coming throughout the conversation that we’re having — that is a public safety [issue],” Martinez said.
Two seniors killed in August
In August, two senior men died while crossing Telephone Road. The most recent victim was a 62-year-old man.
Francisco Villareal, who works at an auto shop on Telephone Road, said the losses hit close to home.
“That was horrible, that was very sad,” Villareal said.
Martinez said crosswalk markings, signage and lighting are among the most urgent needs on the corridor.
“There’s folks that are walking and crossing the street right now, we have this much amount of traffic, with probably 4 feet of sidewalk — that makes it challenging, right?” Martinez said.
Potholes compound the danger
The problems on Telephone Road don’t begin and end with pedestrian infrastructure. Potholes are also a persistent issue for businesses and motorists in the area.
Villareal said the road’s condition has a direct impact on his customers.
“We see a lot of blown tires — they make it to the shop. We have faith that we are going to see improvements down the road,” Villareal said.
Martinez acknowledged the scale of the challenge, noting that routine maintenance isn’t enough.
“Ultimately the city does that every day — we maintain, every day we maintain — but when we know there are big challenges like this on Telephone, we need to do a full reconstruction,” Martinez said.
Construction on the north side of Telephone Road is set to begin in the fall. People should plan for alternative routes
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