FORT DAVIS — Following a recent dustup in Marfa, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) drew the ire of some local residents after installing several highway lights and flashing stop signs at three intersections around Fort Davis. The problematic lights have yet to be turned on, but their illumination is imminent.
Stephen Hummel, McDonald Observatory’s dark sky specialist in Fort Davis, said he was blindsided by the news. The towering lights were erected at three intersections — state Highways 17 and 166 (south of Fort Davis), 118 and 17 (the turnoff from Fort Davis to Marfa), and 118 (turnoff to Balmorhea or the McDonald Observatory) –– and were planned to be fitted with high-intensity bulbs.
The new lights illuminate a wide area instead of using dark skies compliant bulbs and hoods direct the light downward. However, the flashing stop signs there aren’t of concern for dark skies because they are too dim, Hummel said.
Hummel said he has worked with TxDOT on several other projects, advising the agency on how to meet dark skies standards. Fort Davis is the hometown of the Big Bend’s local dark sky ordinances and has had at least a few protections in place since the 1970s to help minimize the impact of light pollution on the observatory’s research. “These are much closer to the observatory than many of the other projects that I work on,” he said of the lights.“Most of my work is in the oil fields. These are relatively close to home.
“I think what’s also different is that these are very public settings, in the middle of town,” he continued. “So if someone comes to Fort Davis to see the night sky and they drive in at night –– these [lights] are going to be the very first things they see.”
In an initial conversation with a TxDOT official, Hummel said he was told the agency would eventually install dark skies compliant fixtures, chosen from an established list. However, he was also told the existing non-compliant lights would be tested first for at least 30 days with the regular fixtures. It’s unclear why TxDOT didn’t plan on installing the compliant lights in the beginning and then do the testing with them, Hummel said.
However, on Wednesday, Hummel said TxDOT changed course and agreed to first seek the dark skies compliant lights
Jeff Davis County Judge Curtis Evans said he plans to reach out to the TxDOT executive director and the area’s representatives in the Legislature. He was upset that the agency installed the devices without community input. “I didn’t know anything about them,” he said.
Flashing stop signs at these intersections were included in a 2023-2026 TxDOT Rural Transportation Improvement Plan, but there was no mention of the highway lights. That plan also had no mention of flashing stop signs at the Presidio County Courthouse and the Highway 67 and 90 intersection at Highland and San Antonio streets in Marfa — the latter replacing the city’s lone blinking red light, spurring some residents to complain.
The Big Bend Sentinel could also find no mention of those traffic installations in the TxDOT Highway 67 Master Plan. Marfa Mayor Manny Baeza, City Manager Mandy Roane, Presidio County Judge Joe Portillo and Precinct 4 Commissioner David Beebe all told The Sentinel two weeks ago that TxDOT never informed them of the flashing signs.
At the request of TxDOT, The Sentinel filed an open records request for crash data, analysis of new infrastructure to increase safety and other information on the placement of the traffic safety devices in the tri-county area. On Tuesday, TxDOT responded by refusing to release any information and referring the request to the Texas attorney general to see if TxDOT can withhold the information. The agency did not comply with the Texas Public Information Act by releasing the costs and locations of the project –– also clearly public record
A TxDOT spokesperson, Lauren Macias-Cervantes, released a statement on the Fort Davis lights stating they are part of a districtwide safety project: “Eight locations in El Paso, Marfa and Fort Davis were included,” the statement read. “Since the project covered multiple locations outside of the dark skies area, dark skies compliant heads were not part of the original contract, however we are in the process of securing dark skies compliant luminaire heads for the safety lighting locations in the dark skies area.
“We are working with the dark skies initiative coordinator,” she continued. “Safety is of utmost importance to TxDOT. While we understand the importance of dark skies, we are striving to improve safety for drivers and stay within dark skies guidelines.”
Hummel said his fear is that the lights are a slippery slope. If TxDOT bypasses public input for future projects, it will truly impact the observatory’s work — particularly since the agency is using bulbs with 15,000 lumens, three times the brightness of existing Fort Davis street lights. “The issue for astronomy is not just the brightness but the color,” he said “They are very blue rich. The more blue it is, the more it scatters in the air, and thus, the more it washes up in the sky.”
Fort Davis residents Matt and Melanie Blackman said TxDOT needs to put more consideration into the importance of dark skies. In an email to The Sentinel, they wrote: “We believe that we have to do all that we can to protect one of the best and only dark-sky areas in the state of Texas and the United States,” the Blackmans wrote. “Our dark skies have allowed scientists to study our universe and beyond. And they are a primary driver of our tourist economy.”
“We’re not asking for no light,” Hummel said. “If they think it’s necessary for safety, we’re not going to contest that. Just use something that conforms with the lighting standards that were previously established.”