Drivers in Lantana may see red in the distant future. Lantana’s two Fresh Water Supply District boards voted at their August joint meeting for a traffic study to determine if stop signs should be added to four intersections along Lantana Trail.
The intersections under consideration for four-way stops are Stacee Lane, Rayzor Road, Branch Crossing, and Bonham Parkway. Click here for map.
At the request of board members, the study will also look at pedestrian traffic and 10 year traffic projections.
“The traffic projections are a good idea to see if stop signs may be needed in the future if not right now,” said Kevin Mercer, Lantana’s General Manager.
There are currently no stop signs on Lantana Trail, which is a four-lane, divided thoroughfare with a posted speed limit of 40 mph that runs three miles through the middle of the master planned development that is home to over 8,000 residents.
Although some board members expressed their willingness to add the stop signs without a traffic study, Mercer informed the boards that Denton County is requiring a study to be performed in order to add or modify any new signage.
The study will commence a couple of weeks after the start of school, Mercer said. Results of the study are expected to be reviewed by the boards at either their October or November meeting.
The districts’ engineering firm, Huitt-Zollars, will conduct the study at a cost of $15,500.
The intersection that has attracted most of the attention of concerned residents is the junction of Lantana Trail and Stacee Lane, where an 8-year-old girl was struck by a vehicle on her way to Blanton Elementary School in April.
Mercer said that the sheriff’s department has agreed to provide an officer to monitor the intersection for the first two weeks of school as well as the first two weeks after Christmas break.
The boards also discussed adding a dedicated police patrol to improve response times.
Representatives from the Denton County Sheriff’s office spoke to board members and explained the level of service provided to Lantana by the department.
The current average response time to calls in Lantana this year is 19.29 minutes, according to data provided by the department.
After the presentation, the boards requested a proposal from the sheriff’s department for two dedicated deputies to patrol the community.
Several fresh water supply districts in Denton County have similar agreements in place, according to the sheriff’s department.
Mercer said that the proposal will consist of two 12 hour shifts covering five days a week.
Board members are expected to review the proposal and associated costs at their September meeting.
Mercer provided the boards with an update on the new Lantana water tower to replace the existing tower in order to make room for a grocery store-anchored shopping center.
The engineer is currently preparing the plans and construction documents, Mercer said. Advertisement for formal bids is forthcoming.
It will take about 12 months to build the new 600,000-gallon water tower on the north side of Lantana Trail and take down the existing one.
Denton County Commissioner Andy Eads also attended the meeting and gave board members an overview of the various services provided by Denton County to Lantana residents.
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