Near Northside roundabout stirring up controversy after mayor decides the infrastructure's future

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A recently installed roundabout in Houston's Near Northside isn't sitting well with neighbors. Surveillance cameras have caught cars flying into the intersection and going airborne, appearing to not even slow down.

This roundabout is located on Irvington at Patton and was installed to make the intersection safer and more accessible for drivers to make left turns.

One business owner at the intersection said he was on board with the roundabout when it was first proposed in 2023.

"I thought it would be good to kind of slow some of the traffic because folks tend to drive kind of fast," the owner of Astrain Tax Consultants, Jose Luis, said.

According to TxDOT, roundabouts prevent severe crashes by 80%. Data from the project planning document show that between 2018 and 2022, 42 crashes happened at the intersection, nine of which caused possible injury and two that did cause injury; none were serious.

But video captured by a nearby business shows several intense crashes since the roundabout went in.

"Some of them I hear, and other ones, when we come, you always see the stuff from the cars on the street," flower shop owner Sayra Huerta said.

People in the area agree that traffic calming is needed, but they believe this particular setup isn't working.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire was seen surveying the area Monday, and residents have some suggestions about what changes could work.

"A traffic light would solve the issue. I think of folks speeding, and a light, I mean, you can't miss that, especially at night," Luis said.

Nearby residents said they now fear for their safety while waiting on the bus.

"When I catch a bus going that way, I stand behind the brick pillars just in case anything happens, and I can see the bus coming anyways," resident Focus Carranco said.

The rub on this? The roundabout was projected to cost $200,000 to build. If it's removed and something else is put in place, it comes with a price tag.

"It's aggravating that we are spending our tax dollars on something like this, and then it turns out that it doesn't work. I think a little more due diligence was required," Luis said.

The mayor did not make anyone available to speak with ABC13 but did send a statement saying they had received multiple complaints and came to see the area so they would determine the next best steps. We have put in an open records request to see what kinds of crashes have happened since the roundabout went in.

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