https://thetexan.news/texas-local-news/kemah-residents-express-confusion-anger-over-city-council-s-abrupt-vote-to-close-6th-street/article_817c0fbc-e308-11ee-81f5-c7c0e3aae09b.html
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Kemah residents were caught off guard last week when the city council voted to completely close a major thoroughfare that is home to multiple local businesses, with little warning and without seeking state-required permission from the street's property owners.
At a March 6 meeting, the council voted unanimously to adopt a traffic plan that creates a one-way loop around the tourist town and pushes traffic from State Highway (SH) 146 towards a tourist destination known as the Boardwalk, bypassing businesses on 6th Street in the heart of Kemah's Lighthouse District.
The council also opted to completely close a portion of 6th Street that is home to several local bars, eateries, and residences, including one at the center of a federal lawsuit that has been pending since January 2022. Meanwhile, 3rd, 4th, and 5th streets will remain open to two-way traffic and the city will create a "shared use pathway" to accommodate golf carts, but not on the closed portion of 6th.
Mayor Robin Collins and Council Members Doug Meisinger, Isaac Saldana, and Teresa Vasquez Evans discussed the plan at a town hall meeting just a week earlier on February 27 after a presentation from City Administrator Aaron Smith.
Smith said that the city had only learned on January 18 of this year that the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) plans on improving State Highway (SH) 146 included making 6th Street and 7th Street one-way.
Collins attributed the proposed changes to the SH 146 project but admitted that the 6th Street closure was not a part of TxDOT's plans. She claimed that she wanted to close 6th Street for safety reasons due to the one-way traffic flows and was relying on a plan crafted by the private firm LJA Engineering at the city's request.