Every day, families, commuters, first responders, commercial drivers, and school buses travel through the intersection of Highway 287 and Ramhorn Hill Road in Wise County. Drivers attempting to cross Highway 287 must navigate two lanes of fast-moving traffic, enter the median, and then cross two additional lanes—with no traffic signal to provide a safe, controlled opportunity to cross.

For those of us who use this intersection regularly, the danger is impossible to ignore. Residents witness frightening near-misses every day, and serious crashes continue to be reported near Ramhorn Hill Road. School buses carrying children must make this same four-lane crossing. No parent should have to wonder whether a bus will find a safe opening in highway traffic simply to complete its route.

TxDOT has proposed a long-term solution as part of its planned improvements to the US 81/US 287 corridor. Those plans include new frontage roads and a grade-separated crossing at Ramhorn Hill Road that would ultimately carry the road over or under Highway 287, eliminating the dangerous at-grade crossing.

We support that permanent solution—but we cannot wait for it.

TxDOT’s planning documents have stated that the larger corridor project is not fully funded and may have to be completed in phases as funding becomes available. In 2026, $1 million for the Ramhorn Hill Road bridge was included in a proposed federal fiscal year 2027 transportation funding bill. However, that funding has not been fully enacted, and no firm construction start date has been announced.

Planning a bridge is not the same as protecting drivers today. Funding, engineering, right-of-way acquisition, bidding, and construction can take years. Meanwhile, traffic continues to increase, crashes continue to occur, and school buses and local families continue to cross four lanes of high-speed highway traffic without a signal.

A traffic light should be installed as an immediate safety measure while the permanent bridge project moves forward. At a minimum, TxDOT should conduct an expedited traffic-signal and safety study and promptly implement the strongest interim protections available. The community should not be forced to choose between waiting indefinitely for a bridge and leaving this intersection unchanged.

The absence of traffic control at this crossing puts drivers, passengers, schoolchildren, and emergency responders at unnecessary risk. Continued development in Wise County will only bring more vehicles to this already dangerous location.

We are calling on the Texas Department of Transportation, Wise County officials, and our elected representatives to take immediate action:

Install a traffic signal at Highway 287 and Ramhorn Hill Road as an interim safety measure.
Implement additional short-term protections recommended by an expedited safety study.
Secure full funding for the permanent grade-separated crossing.
Publish a clear and accountable timeline for design, funding, bidding, and construction.
We should not have to wait for another serious crash—or a preventable loss of life—before something is done. Everyone who lives, works, attends school, or travels through this area deserves a safe way to cross Highway 287.

Please sign and share this petition to demand immediate safety improvements at Highway 287 and Ramhorn Hill Road. The bridge may be the long-term answer, but our community needs protection now.