Rayford Road in Spring sees spike in crashes this year

SPRING, TX (KTRK) -- If you live in the Spring area, no doubt you've sat in traffic on Rayford Road. Drivers say the road has suddenly become even more congested -- and dangerous.

"I avoid Rayford Road like the plague, but I live here, so it's not easy to avoid it," driver Desiree Johnson told us.

For the last few years, drivers have complained about gridlock, but now the road has also seen a spike in the number of crashes.

Christi Hahn, who was pregnant at the time, and her 2-year old daughter, Madison, survived one of those accidents.

"We were heading west on Rayford, and as we passed the Kroger gas station, I saw a car just pull out and they accelerated right into me...it was so terrifying. She screamed at the top of her lungs. I was just worried she was hurt," Hahn said.

Christi and Madison walked away from the wreck, but their SUV was all but totaled.

That was just one of the 86 crashes on Rayford Road this year -- more than any other year on record, with the heaviest traffic month still to come.

Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack blames it on the boom in population, which doubled over just the last 10 years.

"We noticed right away that Rayford Road is the most dangerous road in South Montgomery County," Noack said.

Plans are on the table to expand Rayford Road from four lanes to six, and drivers say that change can't come soon enough.

"I think that's great," Hahn said. "I think they should have done it a long time ago."

The widening would extend from the railroad tracks to the future Grand Parkway. It's a $50 to $60 million bond proposal that will go to voters in May. If approved, the road work would be complete in two to three years.