The above-ground valve that police said an SUV collided with appeared to have been protected only by a chain-link fence that the vehicle breached.
SEE MORE: Deer Park pipeline blast witnesses describe airborne SUV
"That's not saving no one. (It's) just a fence," Lakeisha Reece, who lives nearby, said.
Some have questioned why only a fence stood between the valve and vehicles.
"We're looking at something in hindsight," Michael Felt, whose company, Energy Specialists Consulting, designs pipelines, said. The company wasn't involved in the pipeline's design involved in Monday's explosion.
Eyewitness News asked Felt what would have stopped someone from intentionally driving a vehicle into the pipeline valve.
"I don't think there's anything that can stop an intentional act. The best thing you can do is try to design to prevent anything from happening, whether it's intentional or unintentional," Felt said.
Many storefronts and even ABC13's own gasoline storage tank have concrete barriers installed in front to prevent vehicles from driving into them. Could they have prevented Monday's explosion?
"That would be a nice design feature. It's not required, but it's a nice design feature," Felt said.
Eyewitness News asked the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates pipelines, whether the Energy Transfer pipeline met all safety and security requirements.
"Any time an event like this occurs, all the pipeline operators have to go back and look at their integrity systems. Is there something they can do to improve it?" Felt said.
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13 INVESTIGATES: Energy Transfer waits hours before providing statement on pipeline fire
Energy Transfer waits hours before providing info on pipeline fire