HOUSTON As temperatures heat up, we need to think about how to protect our kids from hot car deaths. In 2018, a record number of 53 children died after being left in a hot vehicle in Texas and in 2019 there were 52. So far this year, five children have died nationwide from hot car deaths. Here are some ways we can help save lives during these sweltering summer months, especially as stay-at-home orders have lifted and routines start to change.

HOUSTON The Texas Department of Transportation, along with the City of Houston, has extended West Airport from Hiram Clarke Road to FM 521. This new roadway improves mobility in the Five Corners District, north of the South Beltway and west of SH-288. Drivers will now be able to travel East to West south of the Wildcat Golf Club. Today TxDOT joined Houston Vice Mayor Pro-Tem @MarthacastexT in officially opening the new West Airport extension from Hiram Clarke Rd to FM 521. pic.twitter.com/x0nNSpzNKg TxDOT- HOU District (@TxDOTHouston) June 19, 2020

HOUSTON Construction of a healthier, broader bridge is underway on the near northside in Houston. The Texas Department of Transportation has been working on the Elysian Viaduct Bridge for years and many are wondering, When is it going to be finished?"Traffic Expert Anavid Reyes spoke with TXDOT and she learned drivers should be able to use this new bridge by the end of the year. As youre making your way into the heart of Houston from the northside, near IH-10, you may have noticed the bright pink paint job on the new Elysian Viaduct Bridge columns. The $35.6 million bridge reconstruction kicked off four years ago and it stretches from Brooks to Commerce Street. The new bridge will also have shoulders, something the 4-lane roadway didnt have before.

HOUSTON The intersection of Main Street and Sunset Boulevard near Rice University has a history of dangerous accidents, especially for cyclists. In fact, a science professor at Rice University died in a crash in 2017 while cycling into work. These changes come after multiple calls for safer roads west of Hermann Park near Rice University by several local organizations. The Sunset Boulevard and Main Street intersection project is part of Mayor Turners safe streets initiative. New traffic signals are also underway to help with flow and the next phase includes testing those traffic lights.

HOUSTON Takata first notified drivers of their defective airbags in 2015 when about 37 million vehicles were affected nationwide. According to Safeairbags.com, more than 17 million recalled airbags remain on the road today. Traffic Expert Anavid Reyes learned more than 400,000 of those recalled airbags are on Houston-area roads alone and with the summer heat ahead, this is a big concern. Fortunately, dealerships now have the parts to repair those airbags. The problem with the defective Takata airbags is that a part inside can explode, shooting sharp metal fragments at passengers inside the vehicle.

This is the area we’re talking about where the City of Houston decided to reconstruct the Brazos Street Bridge on the Spur 527, instead of creating a progressive green space concept some people wanted. The city’s planner tells Traffic Expert Anavid Reyes they worked hard to improve the intersection where Bagby, Smith and Holman street all come together underneath the Brazos Street Bridge for this type of active transportation. improvement schematic designThe plan is to rebuild the Brazos Street Bridge on the Spur 527 first. The goal for the Bagby/ Holman/Smith street intersection underneath that bridge is to make it safer, especially because right now, residents say it’s not. An update for drivers: the southbound turning lane from Smith onto Holman Street will also be removed at this intersection because not a lot of people use it anyway.

HOUSTON – Several COVID-19 testing sites have been added around the Houston area, especially in areas determined to be high risk. But what resources are available to get people to these testing sites if they do not have a car or other means of proper transportation? The mayor has appointed two directors of the mayor’s office for People with Disabilities to tackle this issue, who are themselves disabled. They too have wondered how are they going to get to a testing site in the midst of this pandemic. Another option is that a vehicle can be scheduled to drive to the person’s home to pick them up and take them to the testing site.

City of Pearland closureThe total closure will only affect the segment between Cullen Boulevard and North Hampton Drive. • For access to the west end of Hughes Ranch Road from Broadway Street (FM 518), use Miller Ranch Road. • For eastbound and westbound local neighborhood traffic (Southdown and Crystal Lake), use the Hawk Road / Norfolk Drive / N Hampton Drive/ Hughes Ranch Road detour to access from Cullen Boulevard. • Eastbound Hughes Ranch Road residents access only to Brookney Street, W Sterling Drive, Linda Lane and Crystal Lake from Smith Ranch Road / Country Place Parkway or Miller Ranch Road• Only residents living in the subdivisions or streets listed above will be allowed east on Hughes Ranch Road beyond North Hampton Drive. • There will be no access to Cullen Boulevard beyond North Hampton Drive.