TxDOT Plans to Radically Change Traffic Flow on Sherwood Way Near Walmart

The congested stretch of Sherwood Way (U.S. 67) west of Loop 306 and in front of Walmart, Lowes and the Chick-Fil-A is about to get a major facelift and an additional traffic light to better manage the enormous increase in traffic there over the past five years.

The long stretch from Sam’s in the 5700 block into San Angelo until the major thoroughfare where Sherwood Way intersects with W. Beauregard Ave. is the most dangerous, crash prone street in San Angelo. The six-lane, plus one center turn lane in front of the Walmart, is notorious for enhancing Sherwood Way’s crash statistics. More times than not, it is impossible to turn left (west) across the eastbound lanes and out of the Walmart parking lot due to the volume of traffic.

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Above: Looking east down Sherwood Way at the traffic light at FM 2288/Southland. A new right-turn lane will be added for westbound traffic turning north onto FM 2288. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

Last night, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) regional Director of Transportation Planning John DeWitt presented the agency's plan to radically alter the traffic flow in front of Walmart. TxDOT designed the current traffic scheme and maintains Sherwood Way, but coordinates with the City of San Angelo.

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Above: Click on the map above for a high-res pic of the map of the proposed traffic flow changes. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

DeWitt’s plan will demolish the strange exit decision motorists have when exiting westbound from Loop 306 at the U.S. 67 and Sherwood Way exit. Gone will be the forced option to take the lazy U-turn to gain access to FM 2288. Instead, all traffic will flow to Sherwood Way/U.S. 67 and, if headed north on FM 2288, merge with U.S. 67 traffic to eventually turn right at the traffic light in front of Chick-Fil-A.

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Above: TxDOT's John DeWitt explains the new traffic plan for Sherwood Way in front of Walmart. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

In addition to the change in traffic flow, the TxDOT plan will:

• Build an un-crossable center raised median down the center of Sherwood Way from Loop 306 to Southland/FM 2288.
• Add a third traffic light in front of Walmart between the Murphy Gas Station and the Dairy Queen.
• Create access to a parcel of property adjacent to the Chick-Fil-A where Leon Capital Group is proposing to develop a retail shopping center.
• City of San Angelo Operations Director Shane Kelton said that when the project is complete, TxDOT has the option of connecting the three traffic lights in front of Walmart to the city’s traffic light system, allowing the traffic there to leverage the smooth-flow light timers all the way down Sherwood Way into the heart of the city.
• The land directly adjacent to the north side of Sherwood Way, in front of the Chick-Fil-A and east of there, will remain TxDOT-owned, or TxDOT-managed right-of-way. The grassy area is necessary also for proper drainage of water run-off that eventually flows into the Red Arroyo.
• The proposed retail shopping center will be set back from Sherwood Way beyond the TxDOT right-of-way, directly adjacent to the Chick-Fil-A.
• The access road that currently loops around from the Loop 306 access road, in front of the Chick-Fil-A to join FM 2288, will be demolished and replaced with road access to the commercial plot where the retail shopping center is proposed to be located, on the north side of Sherwood Way.
• Wendy’s Restaurant will become land-locked, with the only access to the fast food establishment coming from the road behind it in the Walmart parking lot.
• The right turn merge lane from Loop 306’s access road to Sherwood Way (south- to westbound conversion) will be shortened to give motorists more room to transfer across the three lanes of Sherwood Way’s westbound lanes in order to turn left into the Walmart parking lot from the to-be-added traffic light between Dairy Queen and Murphy’s.

The reconfiguration of Sherwood Way is estimated to cost $2.012 million. Of that, $1.812 million will be paid through a State of Texas Prop. 1 transportation funding grant through the San Angelo Metropolitan Planning Organization. An additional $200,000 will be donated by Leon Capital Group, the developer of the new retail space.

San Angelo Chamber of Commerce President Phil Neighbors said the land north of Sherwood Way across from Walmart has seen several suitors over the years. The Leon Capital proposal has been the most serious. “We knew we’d eventually have to tackle the traffic problem there anyway, and we felt this was a great time to finally do it,” he said. Neighbors added that the team at the chamber was instrumental in gathering all of the business owners, franchisers and store managers together to hash out the new traffic plan, since all will be affected.

Neighbors could not reveal what kind of retail stores would come to the north side of Sherwood Way. He would confirm that it's likely to be a large anchor store with several smaller retail spaces around it, in a strip center-like configuration.

The Walmart and Lowe’s Home Improvement stores on the south side stand to gain the most from the traffic plan; however, the companies have not committed any dollars to the project. Councilwoman Charlotte Farmer said that should Walmart pitch in, there could be funding to widen the access drive into Walmart’s parking lot from the new traffic light.

“We’re not turning down contributions,” she said.

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Above: San Angelo residents look over the map of the proposed changes for Sherwood Way in front of San Angelo's Walmart. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)

The TxDOT proposal was presented as part of Councilwoman Charlotte Farmer’s Neighborhood Chat meeting with her constituents at the Southland Baptist Church at 6 p.m. Tuesday evening.

TxDOT is ready to move on the construction. The project will be sent out for bid, and bids opened in April 2016. The road construction is expected to take six to eight months to complete once a contractor is selected.