Residents urge Val Verde County to fund Cienegas Road streetlights

Residents who live and own property along Cienegas Road pressed Val Verde County on June 22 to fund new and upgraded streetlights, saying the road’s darkness after sunset is more than an inconvenience. Three residents and property owners asked commissioners to back Precinct 4 Commissioner Gustavo “Gus” Flores’ request, arguing that lighting near the duck pond area and other busy points south of Del Rio would help people driving home at night, getting to nearby properties and moving through the corridor safely.

The county has already been working through a more detailed lighting proposal. A June 17 commissioners court agenda listed five LED street lights with 10-foot mounting arms, three transformers and secondary cabling, funded through Precinct 4’s operating budget at a total cost of $3,985.84. The proposed sites included 2345 Cienegas Rd. and Finegan Rd. near the Basse Corner Pole, 2410 Cienegas Rd. opposite Dollar General, 2727 Cienegas Rd. on the right side before the duck pond, and 109 Owens Rd. at the Cienegas Road intersection.

The lighting push has been active for months. On April 23, commissioners voted 2-3 against Flores’ motion to install six LED streetlights along a portion of Cienegas Road. Flores said at that meeting that he had letters of support from the school district, law enforcement and tenants of the Del Rio Industrial Park, showing the request has backing from people who use the road for school, work and freight-related travel.

County records show the issue is tied to a broader safety project, not just a single stretch of poles. The June 3 agenda included a Cienegas Road lighting item that called for discussion of past court voting history and safety hazards around the duck pond area. That same agenda also opened the door to a larger U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All planning and demonstration grant submission of $5 million for the Cienegas Road Project, along with a separate item to approve six LED street lights and authorize County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. to execute an AEP Texas CIAC agreement.

County Attorney David Martinez added another layer on June 3 when he told commissioners that his office and the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office reviewed crashes on a section of Cienegas Road from Dec. 24, 2021, through Jan. 6, 2026. He said there were 29 reported accidents in that period, 19 during daytime hours, and none in which visibility or darkness was listed as a contributing factor. Martinez said most of the crashes involved speed, DWIs or deer crossings.

The residents who showed up June 22 kept the debate focused on what happens after dark: whether Cienegas Road feels passable, whether drivers can see the shoulder and side roads, and whether people living nearby should have to keep accepting that risk. If commissioners approve the project, the county can move ahead on the Precinct 4-funded installation and utility agreement. If they delay it again, the same stretch of road is likely to remain one of the county’s most visible unresolved safety complaints.