Latest news with #TexasDepartmentofTransportation
08-07-2025
- Climate
Some former Texas county officials thought informal phone calls, not sirens, would be sufficient in a flood
Over the years that the Kerr County Commission spent discussing whether to implement a new flood warning system, some commissioners suggested that sticking with "river calling," an informal phone chain of sorts used by summer camps, would be better than installing new flood sirens, flashing lights or signs. "The camps have had a very good system -- if there's a rise, they're phoning their competitors or colleagues down river and letting them know what happened," said commissioner Kerr County Commissioner Bob Reeves, according to minutes of a 2016 meeting, nearly a decade before devastating floods left at least 100 dead over this past weekend. "It's informal as you said, but it's been a very good system." "They notify each other, we notify them, they notify, there's a lot of informal things that really do work real well," said former Kerr County Sheriff W.R. Hierholzer said at the time, although he noted the river can "come up in an instant." At another meeting in 2017, a different commissioner said the "river calling" system between camps "still works" and added that "the thought of our beautiful Kerr County having these damn sirens going off in the middle of [the] night, I'm going to have to start drinking again to put up with y'all." But to others, the status quo appeared unreliable at best: "We have a warning system out there that may or may not work," Kerr County Commissioner Jonathan Letz said in 2016. "My gut feeling on this and it's kind of an odd way to say this but I think we have a duty to look at what we have," the commissioner continued, later noting, "We are very flood prone, we know that." Some commissioners noted that nearby counties, including those with lower flood risk than Kerr, had already implemented upgraded flood warning systems. According to transcripts of commission meetings, Kerr County Commissioners decided to apply for FEMA dollars made available by President Barack Obama's disaster declaration in 2017. But a county judge and some commissioners expressed discontent that such funding would have to come from the Obama administration and discussed possible exit strategies if they were to receive a FEMA grant. Outside of applying for the FEMA funding, one commissioner said, "Our other option is don't do anything, which is an option. I mean we can just stick with what we have." This includes their system of 20 High Water Detection System crossings -- nine maintained by Texas Department of Transportation and 11 maintained by GBRA. Another commissioner supported applying for the grant but said he wanted to make clear that "this is a kind of a straw man to put in the application because we have to have it, but it's going to be re-looked at in the future." Commissioners acknowledged that this was "not normally the way we would do things," but that the process had to be rushed to meet the deadline of the Obama Administration ending. Kerr County was not selected by the Texas Division of Emergency Management to receive federal funds the state received from FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program.
CBS News
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
I-20 at US-377 in Benbrook shut down due to crash
Westbound lanes of I-20 at US-377 in Benbrook are shut down due to a crash. The crash happened around 2:25 a.m. on Monday, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Traffic cameras showed cars being diverted off I-20 at Winscott Road. It is unclear how long the road will be closed. This story is developing. Check back for updates.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Crash shuts down all lanes on I-10 in Central El Paso; drivers should expect delays
A crash has shut down part of Interstate 10, according to TxDOT El Paso. All lanes were closed in both directions on I-10 East and West at Paisano Drive on Wednesday morning, June 25, and all traffic had to exit at the Paisano/Chelsea Street exit, according to a post by the Texas Department of Transportation. Eastbound lanes on I-10 were opened just before 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, but westbound lanes will remain closed for at least another hour, TxDOT El Paso posted on its social media pages. TxDOT traffic cameras appear to show a semitruck in the median of the interstate. Drivers should find an alternate route and expect delays. There is no clearing time for the crash. TxDOT cameras also captured water accumulating on Gateway North and McCombs closed lanes shortly after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, June 25. All lanes were opened at about 7:45 a.m., according to El Paso Police. Flood-prone areas, such as Paisano and Executive Center Boulevard, were also experiencing water on the roadways. El Paso and southern New Mexico remain under a flash flood watch until the evening hours of Wednesday, June 25. Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@ @NatassiaPaloma on X; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook. More: Rain tests Ruidoso Downs upgrades; track ready for Rainbow Futurity trials This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Crash closes all I-10 lanes in Central El Paso, delays expected
New Straits Times
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Tesla launches long-discussed robotaxi service
NEW YORK: Tesla began offering robotaxi services Sunday in the US city of Austin, Texas, an initial step that Elon Musk's backers believe could lead to the company's next growth wave. "Super congratulations to the @Tesla_AI software & chip design teams on a successful @Robotaxi launch!!" Musk posted on the X platform that he owns. "Culmination of a decade of hard work." The kickoff -- which comes as Musk refocuses on his business ventures following a contentious stint in Donald Trump's administration -- will employ the Model Y sport utility vehicle rather than Tesla's much-touted Cybercab, which is still under development. The long-awaited launch follows the dramatic meltdown earlier this month in relations between the US president and the world's richest person, which saw a cascade of bitter attacks from both men. Since then, Musk has publicly expressed regret for some of his statements, while his company's Texas operation has readied the Austin push -- part of a major drive on autonomous technology and artificial intelligence that Tesla believes will yield huge profits. Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said autonomous technology could be a catalyst for potentially US$1 trillion or more in additional market value. "There are countless skeptics of the Tesla robotaxi vision with many bears thinking this day would never come," said Ives, who predicted Trump's administration would clear roadblocks for Tesla and pivot from the recent "soap opera." One of the robotaxi's self-described first users was Tesla fan Herbert Ong, who livestreamed his ride Sunday in a red vehicle that included a person in the passenger seat monitoring the trip for operational safety. The unveiling in the Texas state capital comes amid questions about how Tesla will try to overcome criticism of Musk's activities for Trump. Tesla saw profits plunge 71 per cent in the first quarter following poor sales in several markets. In picking Austin for the debut of the autonomous vehicle (AV) service, Musk is opting for a US state known for its business-friendly approach to regulation. "Texas law allows for AV testing and operations on Texas roadways as long as they meet the same safety and insurance requirements as every other vehicle on the road," the Texas Department of Transportation told AFP. The Texas legislature this year passed a bill requiring prior authorization from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles before companies can operate on a public street without human drivers, a group of Democratic lawmakers said in a June 18 letter to Tesla. Citing the enhanced system, the lawmakers asked Tesla to delay testing until after the law takes effect on September 1. The lawmakers asked for "detailed information demonstrating that Tesla will be compliant with the new law" should the company choose to proceed. Musk had initially planned the launch for June 12, before pushing back, saying he was being "super paranoid" about safety. "We want to deliberately take it slow," Musk said May 20 on CNBC, telling the network that Tesla would probably only operate 10 autonomous vehicles the first week. But that number will rise to perhaps 1,000 "within a few months," Musk added. "And then we will expand to other cities... San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio." The service will be offered from 6:00 am until midnight and will be available to "early access" users on an invitation-only basis in a geofenced area, Sawyer Merritt, who owns a Tesla, said Friday on X. He added that the company had given him permission to release the information. Musk last fall unveiled the Cybercab, which has no steering wheel or pedals. Its production is not expected to begin until 2026. Tesla's robotaxi launch comes well after Waymo's offering of commercial robotaxi service. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in October 2024 opened a probe into Tesla's Full Self-Driving software after receiving four reports of crashes. Last month the agency asked Tesla for additional information on its technology in light of the Austin launch. But the NHTSA told AFP it does not "pre-approve" new technologies.
Observer
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- Observer
Tesla expected to launch long-discussed robotaxi service
NEW YORK: Tesla is expected to begin offering robotaxi service on Sunday in Austin, an initial step that Elon Musk's backers believe could lead to the company's next growth wave. The launch -- which comes as Musk refocuses on his business ventures following a controversial stint in Donald Trump's administration -- will employ the Model Y sport utility vehicle rather than Tesla's much-touted Cybercab, which is still under development. The long-awaited launch follows the dramatic meltdown earlier this month in relations between Musk and Trump, which saw a cascade of bitter attacks from both men. Since then, Musk has publicly expressed regret for some of his statements, while his company's Texas operation has readied the Austin push -- part of a major drive on autonomous technology and artificial intelligence that Tesla bulls believe will yield huge profits. This group includes Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives, who said autonomous technology could be a catalyst for potentially $1 trillion in additional market value or more. "There are countless skeptics of the Tesla robotaxi vision with many bears thinking this day would never come," said Ives, who predicted that Trump's administration would clear roadblocks for Tesla and pivot from the recent "soap opera." "The golden era of autonomous for Tesla officially kicks off on Sunday in Austin," Ives said in a note. But the unveiling in the Texas state capital comes amid questions about how Tesla will try to overcome criticism of Musk's activities for Trump. Tesla saw profits plunge 71 per cent in the first quarter following poor sales in several markets. In picking Austin for the debut of the autonomous vehicle (AV) service, Musk is opting for a US state known for its company-friendly approach to regulation. "Texas law allows for AV testing and operations on Texas roadways as long as they meet the same safety and insurance requirements as every other vehicle on the road," the Texas Department of Transportation said. An Austin website listed six autonomous vehicle companies at various stages of operation: ADMT (Volkswagen), AVRide, Tesla, Zoox (Amazon), Motional (Hyundai) and Waymo (Alphabet/Google). But the Texas legislature this year enacted a new bill that requires prior authorisation from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles before companies can operate on a public street without human drivers, a group of seven Democratic lawmakers said in a June 18 letter to Tesla. Citing the enhanced system, the lawmakers asked Tesla to delay testing until after the law takes effect on September 1. If Tesla proceeds with the launch this weekend, "we request that you respond to this letter with detailed information demonstrating that Tesla will be compliant with the new law," the letter said. Musk had initially planned the launch for June 12, before pushing back, saying he was being "super paranoid" about safety. "We want to deliberately take it slow," Musk said in a May 20 interview on CNBC, telling the network that Tesla would probably only operate 10 autonomous vehicles the first week. But that number will rise to perhaps 1,000 "within a few months," Musk told CNBC. "And then we will expand to other cities.... San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio." The service will be offered from 6:00 am until midnight and will be available to "early access" users on an invitation-only basis in a geofenced area, Tesla owner Sawyer Merritt said on Friday on Musk's X platform, adding that Tesla had given him permission to release the information. Musk last fall unveiled the Cybercab, which has no steering wheel or pedals. But production is not expected to begin on the vehicle until 2026. Tesla's robotaxi launch comes well after Waymo's offering of commercial robotaxi service, with more US cities gradually added. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in October 2024 opened a probe into Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software after receiving four reports of crashes. The NHTSA on May 8 asked Tesla for additional information on its technology in light of the Austin launch. But the NHTSA does not "pre-approve" new technologies, the agency said. "Rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA's rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects," the NHTSA said. - AFP
