AUSTIN, Texas — Multiple people in the Goodnight Ranch Community reached out to KVUE about wrecks happening at the intersection of East Slaughter Lane and Vertex Boulevard after the road was expanded from two lanes to four.
Austin-Travis County said within about 24 hours, three wrecks occurred at the intersection after it opened on Tuesday. The first accident happened on Tuesday, while the other two happened on Wednesday, both before 10 a.m.
"I thought it was the route my husband took to work, but he doesn't," said Resident Laura Singer. "I called him up at work, which I never do, to say, 'Listen, on your way home, please be careful.'"
Singer lives in the Goodnight Ranch Community and like many others is concerned about people not seeing the newly opened westbound lanes. Viewers sent KVUE photos of people driving the wrong way on the road on Wednesday.
While under construction, the westbound and eastbound lanes were both on the eastbound side, creating a two-way road. Viewers said when the lanes originally opened, the road-closed signs were removed and a one-way sign was added to the far right side of the intersection.
They added, it wasn't until Wednesday that a barrier and "wrong way" signs were placed near the intersection to keep people from turning.
A City of Austin spokesperson said when the new two westbound lanes opened on Tuesday, the contractor hired by the Goodnight Developer blocked the median.
Either way, some drivers did not see the changes. Instead of making an immediate right on Slaughter Lane, some were continuing to turn into the eastbound lane, into on-coming traffic.
On Thursday, KVUE's Drone also caught someone trying to make that familiar turn that residents said was there for over a year.
On Thursday, digital message boards were installed at both ends of Slaughter Lane, warning drivers of the traffic pattern change, as well as on Vertex Boulevard.
The City of Austin put out this statement:
"The westbound span of Slaughter Lane between Old Lockhart Road and Vertex Boulevard remains under control of the private contractor hired by the Goodnight Ranch developer to construct the roadway improvements. Upon completion of construction, City of Austin crews will inspect the roadway to ensure it meets the City's construction standards and adheres to the traffic control plan that has been marked as reviewed and complete by a licensed engineer with the City. The City regularly inspects ongoing projects to ensure compliance with those plans.
"We encourage drivers to be very cautious in this area, as crews continue to work toward completion of the project and traffic patterns are different from what they are accustomed."
PHOTOS: Slaughter Lane and Vertex Boulevard intersection
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