Noble Lark Drive has been a continuing saga since its December 2023 closure at Dietz-Elkhorn Road by the city of Fair Oaks Ranch.
At its July 18 meeting, City Council voted 7-0 to postpone action on an ordinance that would have permanently closed the intersection.
City Manager Scott Huizenga confirmed Friday the city will remove the barriers prior to the start of the new school year.
“The motion that (city council) approved means they were not acting to permanently close the road,” Huizenga said. “I did relay to the council that I will remove the temporary closure prior to the start of the new school year.”
Its removal will give council more time to study alternate traffic patterns in the area.
Mayor Pro- Tem Laura Koerner, who previously voiced her support for a permanent Noble Lark closure, backed the vote to postpone.
“I’m still supportive of the closure, but I voted to postpone,” Koerner said. “If the council needs more data, I’ll support them getting more data.”
She said all options previously considered will be on the table when the council meets to vote on a permanent solution.
“It’s not the first street that’s been dead-ended in Fair Oaks Ranch, so it’s not unprecedented. It’s been done before to solve the same problem,” she said. “To me, the safety outweighs the inconvenience, and I’ll continue to make that point.”
Other options being considered include adding a stop sign at the intersection at Kalkallo and Noble Lark drives, the possibility of adding speed bumps, rumble strips and reduced speed limits.
“Those ideas are all a part of the calculus right now,” the city manager said. “I would expect we would want to study the impact of those measures for at least the first semester of the school year.”
For now, all barriers blocking Noble Lark will be removed. Once all options are studied, a discussion will be held at the council’s Aug. 1 meeting. The discussion is expected to lead to a permanent decision for the intersection.
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