FM 133 from US 83 (Catarina) to I-35 (Artesia Wells) thru Dimmit and La Salle Counties is NOW OPEN. 

The traveling public is advised to observe advance warning traffic signs, road markings and barricades in the area.

For TxDOT Statewide Travel Advisory (Highway Conditions Report), dial 1-800-452-9292 or visit the TxDOT website at http://thc.txdot.gov/Map/

Follow the TxDOT Laredo District at http://twitter.com/txdotlaredo

The Laredo District, serving Dimmit, Duval, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Val Verde, Webb & Zavala counties.

Police Out in Force May 21 – June 3 for Click It or Ticket Campaign

AUSTIN — From May 21 through June 3, including the Memorial Day weekend, thousands of state troopers, police officers and sheriff’s deputies across the Lone Star state will be on the lookout for drivers and passengers who are not buckled up or whose children are not properly restrained. 

Throughout this two week-long enforcement period of the Texas Department of Transportation’s annual Click It or Ticket campaign, drivers and passengers who choose not to fasten their seat belts could be pulled over and fined up to $250, plus court costs.

Texas law requires that both drivers and passengers wear seat belts. Children younger than 8 years old must ride in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches.   TxDOT uses the “Click It or Ticket” campaign to raise awareness about the law surrounding seat belt use and the importance of always buckling up.

“It only takes a minute to strap on your seat belt and to make sure that everyone else in your vehicle is properly restrained,” said Carol Rawson, TxDOT’s Traffic Operations division director. “That one minute can save a life. We shouldn’t have to remind people to wear seat belts. But just in case, police officers around the state will be pulling over folks who still have not gotten the message.”

Traffic crashes remain a leading cause of death in Texas. In 2011, nearly 3,000 people died in fatal collisions on Texas streets and highways. Almost half of those drivers and passengers were not buckled up. Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent for car occupants and 60 percent for light-truck occupants.

“Click It or Ticket is not just about writing tickets. It’s about saving lives,” said Rawson. “Seat belt use in Texas is much higher than it was when we started this effort 11 years ago, but we still have some holdouts. We want everyone to get on board with the habit of buckling up.”

Most at risk for serious injury or death are pickup truck drivers and passengers. Pickups account for one in four registered vehicles in Texas and are twice as likely to roll in a crash. However, seat belt use among pickup drivers and passengers continues to lag. Ninety-one percent of pickup drivers buckle up compared to 95 percent of other drivers. And, only 80 percent of truck passengers use seat belts compared to 92 percent of passengers in other vehicles.

In fact, Texas currently ranks seventh in the nation for overall seat belt use, and 93.7 percent of Texas motorists use seat belts according to the Texas Transportation Institute. Experts at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimate that the steady increase in seat belt usage in Texas over the past 10 years has resulted in 2,843 fewer traffic fatalities, 48,000 fewer serious injuries and a savings to the state of more than $10 billion in associated costs.

To access campaign photos and video, visit:

http://sherrymatthews.com/pr/txdotclick/index.html

Visit www.texasclickitorticket.com for more information.

LAREDO>TX – Please be advised that Ballenger Construction will be closing northbound State Loop (LP) 20 on May 17, 2012 from State Highway (SH) 359 to Maria Luis Drive between the hours of 9 PM and 6 AM to facilitate the placement of bridge deck panels for the State Highway (SH) 359 Overpass Bridge.

Eastbound/Westbound/Southbound movements will be permitted through the intersection. The traveling public is asked to use alternate routes for heading northbound on State Loop (LP) 20.

Please slow down, prepare for detours, merge to open lanes, and observe all advance warning signs, road markings and channelization devices in and around the work area.

LAREDO,TX – A Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Certification Workshop will be held in Laredo, June 5-8, 2012, for persons interested in becoming certified CPS technicians as there is a great need for more CPS techs in all communities.

As a CPS tech, you will be able to learn how to properly install child passenger safety seats in vehicles while teaching parents and childcare givers proper and safe instruction.

This four-day course will be offered at the Texas Department of Transportation Laredo District Office located at 1817 Bob Bullock Loop in Laredo.

Frank Luera, a senior instructor for the Safe Riders, Inc., said, “More CPS techs locally means more education and instruction available to the community with the ultimate goal of keeping children safe in vehicles should an accident occur.”

If interested, pre-registration is required and you can register online. Please do so as soon as possible since class space is limited to 20 persons.   

Interested persons must go online set up a profile and pay their $75 fee at: http://cert.safekids.org Please call Safe Kids Customer Service during normal business hours at 877-366-8154 should there be any questions regarding registration.

Travel Rally Day shines a spotlight on the economic and employment impact created in South Texas from spending by leisure and business travelers. The jobs of local hospitality workforce – and millions of dollars in local/state tax base – are supported by the vital economic activity generated by travel and tourism. Visitors are encouraged to stop by and visit with our tourism partners, pick up travel information and enjoy the numerous activities and entertainment provided throughout
the day.

LAREDO, TX – Effective Thursday, April 3, 2012 in the afternoon, the new Chihuahua St. Overpass was opened to eastbound traffic between Monterrey and Cedar Ave. this as part of the US 83 Guadalupe-Chihuahua St. Railroad Grade Separation Project.

Westbound traffic on Guadalupe St. was placed on the new Guadalupe St. overpass on March 28, 2012.

This construction project continues to advance with anticipated completion in late Summer 2012.

As always, the traveling public should slow down, observe all advance warning signs, road markings and channelization devices in and around the work zone.

The Texas Department of Transportation Laredo District hosted a Partnering for Work Zone Safety Press Conference and Proclamation in observance of the 13th annual National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 23-27, 2012).

Scores of ardent work zone safety advocates to include judicial, law enforcement partners, contractor and TxDOT partners converged on the work zone site of the Cuatro Vientos Interchange located on Loop 20 at SH 359 to send a clear message that work zone safety is everyone’s responsibility, and that motorists should adhere to work zone speed limits or be subject to the consequences and penalties for not obeying state highway laws in work zones. To emphasize the importance of work zone safety,
City of Laredo Councilmember for District III and Mayor Pro Tempore Cindy Liendo Espinoza emphatically read a proclamation declaring this week, April 23-27, 2012 as National Work Zone Awareness Week in Laredo, Texas.

Also in attendance at today’s event were TxDOT Laredo District Administrator Melisa Montemayor, District Attorney for Webb and Zapata Counties Isidro R. Alaniz, Jr., Laredo Police Department Assistant Chief Jesus Torres, TxDOT Laredo Area Engineer Carlos G. Rodriguez, P.E., Ballenger Construction Safety Coordinator Elias Rosales, and Anderson Columbia Safety Officer Mark Garza.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) manages more than 1,000 highway projects at any given time on 80,000 miles of Texas roads. As such, work zones can be hazardous for both motorists and highway crews working to improve Texas’ highways. However, because of increased safety measures and public outreach, TxDOT has seen a decline in work zone fatalities for two consecutive years.

In 2010, 100 people were killed in highway construction and maintenance zones in Texas, down from 108 the previous year. While there has been a decline in work zone fatalities and crashes, there is still work to do. Since 1938, there have been 270 TxDOT employees killed, with 200 of those deaths occurring in work zones.

In 2010, the Laredo District had no work zone fatalities and 156 crashes. [For those districts with no fatalities, use this sentence: Thankfully, in 2010 the Laredo District had no fatalities, but we have had 156 crashes that occurred in a work zone. More than four out of five, or eighty–five percent, of those killed in work zones are drivers or their passengers. Speeding and inattention are the most common causes cited. Rear-end collisions account for one in three crashes.

Safety is TxDOTs first priority, no matter what job—behind the desk or on the highway.

●    Slow down and follow posted speed limits. Traffic fines are double in work zones.
●    Pay attention. Workers are often close to traffic.
●    Be patient. Delays can be frustrating, but it only takes a few minutes to slow down in a work zone.
●    Plan ahead, leave early to reach your destination.

Drive safe to be safe.

“Trash-Off allows us to show off our state’s natural beauty from wildflowers to rolling hills — helping rid our state of litter,” said Phil Wilson, executive director of TxDOT. “Volunteers are extremely important in helping us maintain clean and safe Texas roadsides, and I encourage new and longtime volunteers to join us.”

“Each year this event brings together thousands of volunteers, and we expect this year’s event to be even more successful,” said Cathie Gail, executive director of Keep Texas Beautiful. “This program not only beautifies our roads across the state, it also educates and changes the attitudes and behavior of would-be litterers, preparing us for a litter-free future,” added Gail.

In 2011, 75,872 volunteers participated in 848 Trash-Off events across the state, and more than 6,000 miles of highway were cleared of litter and debris, totaling nearly six million pounds of trash.

We ask the traveling public to drive with extreme caution as local Adopt a Highway volunteers organizations will be conducting their four times a year litter pickup on the side of the road.

For more information, please contact Adopt a Highway Coordinator Lydia Segovia at (956) 712-7471.

Specifically, closures will take place Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 9 PM thru Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 6 PM, and Saturday, April 21, 2012, 9 PM thru Sunday, April 22, 2012, 6 PM.

The closures are the following:

●    No thru traffic on eastbound and westbound SH 359
●    No thru traffic on northbound Loop 20
●    Only one lane open (right lane) on southbound Loop 20
●    Turnaround will be open north of the intersection

Allowable traffic movements include:

●    Outer lane of SH 359 westbound to outer lane of Loop 20 northbound
●    Outer lane of Loop 20 southbound to outer lane of SH 359 westbound
●    Outer lane of Loop 20 northbound to outer lane of SH 359 eastbound

Detoured local traffic only will use alternate routes.

Law enforcement officers will assist with the control of traffic.

Please slow down, prepare for detours, merge to open lanes, and observe all advance warning signs, road markings and channelization devices in and around the work area.

LAREDO, TX - A Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Certification Workshop will be held in Laredo, April 17-20, for persons interested in becoming certified CPS technicians as there is a great need for more CPS techs in all communities.

As a CPS tech, you will be able to learn how to properly install child passenger safety seats in vehicles while teaching parents and childcare givers proper and safe instruction.

This four-day course will be offered at the Texas Department of Transportation Laredo District Office located at 1817 Bob Bullock Loop in Laredo. In January of 2011, 17 persons were certified CPS technicians at a similar workshop held in Laredo.

Frank Luera, a senior instructor for the Safe Riders, Inc. said, “More CPS techs locally means more education and instruction available to the community with the ultimate goal of keeping children safe in vehicles should an accident occur.”

If interested, pre-registration is required and you can register online. Please do so as soon as possible since class space is limited to 20 persons.   

Interested persons must go online set up a profile and pay their $75 fee at: http://cert.safekids.org Please call Safe Kids Customer Service during normal business hours at 877-366-8154 should there be any questions regarding registration.