We wrote an article last week about makeshift exits and we stumbled across a Nixle alert from Amarillo PD.

According to the Amarillo Police Department, the dirt road exits made on the side of the highway are illegal to use. A Nixle alert sent today around 1 pm explained why exiting like this is illegal.

With the ongoing construction along our highways in Amarillo, we are seeing more and more issues with drivers exiting the highway over the grass medians to get to the service roads. There are multiple reasons that drivers should avoid doing this.

  1. It is against the law - Texas Traffic Code 545.064 says that an operator may not drive on or from a limited access or controlled-access roadway except at an entrance or exit established by a public authority.
  2. This is a dangerous practice - Drivers on the service roads are not expecting a vehicle to exit where there is not a marked exit. In some cases drivers are exiting the highway over a grass median just after a marked exit and vehicles legally exiting cannot see or be seen until it's too late.
  3. This is causing ruts in the grass - The ruts are unattractive and can lead to erosion problems in the future.
  4. You could get stuck - As if waiting in traffic wasn't bad enough now you are stuck in the mud waiting for someone to rescue you.

Nobody likes being stuck in traffic, but we still have to follow the traffic laws and be safe. You can check updated road construction on Twitter at @TxDOT or @AmarilloPD. You can also check road conditions at https://drivetexas.org

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