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West Campus safety improvements to be completed soon

Austin Energy said it has improved over 600 street lights in the area. It will add another 200 by the upcoming fall semester.

AUSTIN, Texas — For years, Austin Energy has worked to increase lighting and help with safety in the West Campus area. Those projects should be completed by the upcoming fall semester.

The work going on this spring will add new luminaries, which will "offer an improved broadcast of light," according to Austin Energy. This second phase will add lights to additional areas that weren't originally planned.

"This second phase adds light to fill the few remaining gaps," said Matt Mitchell, public information officer for Austin Energy. "It’s the second part of the same objective."

One other thing Austin Energy has been working on for the last year is vegetation management.

"The higher lights were covered by some of the old heritage trees," said Joell McNews, president of Safehorns. "They did come in and trim around the canopy. If you're walking down the street now, the tree canopy is raised and it's consistent so you can see and be seen."

The issue was the trees that were on private property. 

"Austin Energy had to request that property owner to make those changes," McNew said. "Many times, they did receive pushback."

However, since the recent ice storm, McNew said people are now aware of the importance of tree maintenance. 

Austin Energy experts told KVUE that since last year, crews have improved over 600 street lights. This has helped with low lighting and the lack of lighting in the area. 

However, one other concern is the increased amount of nearby criminal activity. McNew said on Neches Street, between 27th and 28th streets, people broke into a building and have been living there for months. 

"They've been harassing students in the area," McNew said, adding, "They've seen them with different weapons. They've been aggressive towards them. So, it's very concerning."

KVUE reached out to the Austin Police Department for comment. The department said officers are going to clear out the complex on Friday.

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