TxDOT warns drivers of new four-way stop on SL 79 in Val Verde County

Drivers approaching the SL 79-US 90 E intersection in Val Verde County had to stop at a new four-way stop after an overnight crash, and proceed through the area with caution. The change hit one of Del Rio’s most important bypass routes, State Loop 79, which also serves traffic headed to Laughlin Air Force Base.

The Texas Department of Transportation’s Laredo District issued the alert for motorists in the county, which it plans, designs, builds, operates and maintains along with seven other border-region counties. TxDOT said the stop setup was needed because road conditions can change rapidly after a crash, and its travel information is intended to give drivers updates that are as close to real time as possible.

The disruption comes on a corridor that has already drawn major state investment. A TxDOT rehabilitation project on SL 79 between U.S. Highway 90 West and Ranch to Market Road 2523 in Del Rio and Val Verde County cost $11 million and reopened to traffic on Nov. 21, 2019. That work restored a stretch that helps carry local and base-related traffic around Del Rio, making the loop a key piece of the county’s transportation network.

TxDOT’s live traffic tools are built for quick checks by motorists during incidents like this, including traffic cameras that the agency says are for real-time monitoring only and are not recorded. The department also uses DriveTexas to post near-real-time travel information, while Project Tracker provides information on more than 11,000 TxDOT projects across the state.

For Val Verde County drivers, the immediate change was simple but significant: stop at the new four-way control, slow down, and expect delays near the SL 79-US 90 E intersection until the roadway situation is resolved.