The Eagle Pass City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance which would update and designate new truck routes away from S. Veterans Boulevard due to potential dangers as seen in the past.

Eagle Pass Fire Chief Manuel Mello presented the Eagle Pass City Council information regarding the issue. 

“We have seen issues in the area of the Language Development Center and Memorial Junior High School. We’ve seen several accidents there. We have had one where a propane truck was involved. Luckily, this propane truck only had a leak that we were able to control. Our concern is if we have another one of those accidents we would be facing something like we faced in 1975, where a tractor-trailer overturned on Highway 277/ 57 and caused a major explosion. That is what we are trying to eliminate right here,” said Chief Mello.

The Eagle Pass City Council approved to amend their current ordinance to include that “it shall be unlawful to move, operate or drive any tank, tank truck, trailer or other vehicle or motor vehicle containing, transporting or hauling, or used or designed to contain, transport or haul, gasoline, gas or liquefied petroleum gas, on any public street within the corporate limits of the city other than the following prescribed truck routes or portions of same, except for local deliveries and to obtain access to truck-weighing facilities.” 

The new ordinance amendments are being set into place to get any commercial vehicle to have to use loop 480 instead of driving through city limit areas.