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A 'grande' problem: City of Tyler works to improve safety at 'S-curve' on Grande Boulevard

The city says it’s the road conditions. Citizens say it’s not the road – it’s the people driving on it.

TYLER, Texas — A stretch of road in Tyler could soon receive some new safety upgrades — but drivers and the city call the "S" curve on Grande Boulevard dangerous for two different reasons.

The city says it’s the road conditions. Citizens say it’s not the road – it’s the people driving on it. 

"Grande was a wonderful addition to our city," Betty Hornbostel, a Tyler resident said. "But it’s become a really busy, fast-paced corridor." 

Grande Blvd. is a roadway that connects Highway 155 and Troup Highway that has alleviated traffic in southern Tyler.

City of Tyler data shows from 2011 to 2020, 57 wrecks have occurred on this section of Grande Blvd. Many of those wrecks happened when road conditions are at their worst.

Some agree with the planned safety improvements, others say drivers just need to pay better attention.

"There’s a sign there that says it’s a 30 mph curve and pray that will slow down the speeder and make it safer for all of us," Hornbostel said. 

And the city agrees that this curve is dangerous, but doesn’t agree with citizens on what the main reason for wrecks is.

“We know that this is an area in town that has a high volume of crashes," LouAnn Campbell, public works and utilities spokesperson with the city of Tyler, said.  

"There’s a lack of elevation on the curves – on the outside of the curves. On the outside of the curves in each direction there is a lack of elevation and that is what we believe is causing people to lose control of their vehicles," Campbell added. 

Last week, the city presented four options that would improve the curve on Grande. The one the city has decided to move forward with is a mixture of options one and two which include installing new LED signage to warn drivers of the S-curve and install new high friction pavement. Also, the city plans to move the Oncor tower so drivers can see the curve better while driving uphill.

"It seems absolutely unconscionable for our tax payers to cover the expenses of doing something that shouldn’t be necessary if the rules were followed," Hornbostel said. 

Hornbostel, along with others, would like to see more police enforcement of the area.

Signage will start to illuminate drivers within the next year and the new pavement by 2024. 

City officials said they’ll observe the pattern of traffic after the changes are implemented for a few years. If that doesn’t bring down the number of wrecks, it'll look into option four, which is a reconstruction of the curve to stretch it out.

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