Montgomery County could spend nearly $2 million on mobile emergency barriers to protect first responders working crash scenes on I-45 and other major corridors through The Woodlands area, a proposal prompted in part by the fatal June 28 crash that killed a sheriff's deputy near the Woodlands Parkway exit.
Jason Millsaps, executive director of the county's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, presented the plan at the Thursday, July 23 Commissioners Court meeting, asking for three truck-driven barrier units that automatically deploy to block traffic lanes when collisions are reported.
"We live in an environment now where we are no longer safe on the roadway as we're sitting there working at a collision or an investigation, or dealing with a medical emergency or a fire along the roadway," Millsaps said at the meeting, according to Community Impact Newspaper. He added that multiple fire trucks have been struck and that a deputy was killed "just a few weeks ago."
That deputy was Erika Serrato, 24, a six-year member of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. Serrato was struck and killed June 28 on I-45 North near the Woodlands Parkway exit while directing traffic at a DWI crash scene. The driver of the commercial truck that hit her, Ian Perez, 20, told authorities he had fallen asleep at the wheel, according to KBTX. Three people have been charged in connection with her death.
The price tag
Each barrier unit costs $650,000 for the tractor, trailer, and outfitting. The bigger ongoing expense: four staff members per unit on 24/7 rotation at $52,000–$53,000 each, totaling about $328,000 per truck per year in staffing alone. Across three units, that works out to roughly $1.95 million in equipment plus $984,000 annually in personnel costs.
The North Montgomery County Fire Department already operates emergency response barriers, Millsaps told commissioners. The proposed corridors for the new county-run units include I-45 from the county line north to Conroe, Highway 249, FM 1488, and Highway 59/69, plus farm-to-market roads as needed.
Sheriff Wesley Doolittle voiced support for the proposal at the same meeting, saying the county should be "constantly reevaluating our processes, our equipment, and making sure that we're keeping people safe."
Commissioners will vote on the barrier request at the Wednesday, August 12 budget workshop.
New jail site approved, funding deferred
In a separate action at the same Thursday, July 23 meeting, commissioners voted 4-0 to approve a site for a new county jail: 41 acres adjacent to the current facility at 700 Hilbig Road, near the Montgomery County Mental Health facility. The county already owns the land.
Doolittle asked commissioners to defer identifying a funding source until the next court session, when the budget office can weigh in. No construction cost estimate or timeline was discussed publicly at the July 23 meeting.
The county plans to issue a request for qualifications from engineering firms to move the project forward.
