A petition urging the Texas Department of Transportation to widen Texas 46 has garnered more than 1,000 signatures, as its creator calls on Kendall County commissioners to pass a resolution demanding a formal road safety audit and funding for improvements.
The petition follows a fatal head-on collision March 24 near Enchanted Springs Ranch.
Area resident Brad Dobson launched the effort, urging Tx-DOT to prioritize widening the highway, a move he said would improve safety, ease congestion and support economic growth.
The petition, posted at https:// www.change.org/p/widen-statehighway- 46-between-boerneand- pipe-creek, describes Texas 46 as “a vital corridor in our daily lives” that remains “dangerously narrow and inadequate for the ever-increasing traffic it supports.” It cites a rise in crashes, attributing many to narrow lanes and a lack of sufficient shoulders for safe travel or emergency stops.
Dobson said frustration with the state agency’s inaction continues to grow, especially as fatalities persist along the roughly 11-mile stretch connecting State Highway 16 in Bandera to Interstate 10 in Boerne.
“Is widening Texas 46 the answer? I don’t know. Is installing a center turn-only lane the answer? I don’t know,” Dobson said. “Are center-lane barriers the answer? I don’t know. But the fact we keep having deaths and nothing’s being done is not the answer.”
The Bandera County Commissioners Court approved a resolution April 7 calling on Tx-DOT to make upgrades along the corridor, citing increasing traffic volumes and a history of fatal crashes extending from Kendall County into Bandera County.
The resolution states Texas 46 is “totally inadequate to handle the volume of traffic between State Highway 16 and Interstate 10 in Bandera and Kendall counties,” adding that Tx-DOT has received repeated requests for improvements without a firm commitment or timeline.
According to crash data from TxDOT’s Traffic Safety Division covering the Texas 46 West corridor between Texas 16 and Interstate 10 from 2016 through March 2026, there have been 550 reported crashes, including 10 fatal crashes resulting in 13 deaths. An additional 44 people were seriously injured.
More than half of the fatalities — eight of 13 — involved head-on collisions, with 10 occurring within the past five years.
The petition states traffic congestion has become a daily frustration for residents, commuters and travelers, and warns that continued residential and commercial growth will further strain the roadway if improvements are not made.
Signers of the petition have shared personal stories and concerns.
“I drive from Lakehills to Boerne and back every single day. This road terrifies me. I refuse to drive it with my kids in the car. Something needs to be done now,” one commenter wrote.
Another signer, Colin Pena, said his father, Mickey Pena, and his father’s girlfriend, Marcia LaRochelle, were killed in a crash on Texas 46 on Jan. 5, 2025.
“Robert Delmon Gray was intoxicated and hit them head-on,” Pena said. “If only there was a center divider, they might still be alive and with us today. The fact that TxDOT has not made this highway safer is unacceptable.”
Pena added that the dangers of the highway are widely known.
“They know it’s unsafe, as we all do,” he said. “Put in a concrete center divider. Make it wider. If Texas is too cheap to save lives, I’ll come get my hands dirty and help do the work myself.”
TxDOT data over a 10-year period from 2016 through March 2026 shows:
• 550 total reported crashes
• 13 fatalities in 10 fatal crashes
• 44 serious injuries
• 94 minor injuries
• At least 151 total injuries or deaths Planned improvements through 2029 include repaving and the addition of turn lanes, but do not include a center median, according to officials.
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