Newton County Constable Howie Wonders has released important information regarding the homecoming parade route.
The homecoming parade route will not be changing for many reasons, mainly due to safety concerns. In order to perform this parade in a safe manor Hwy 12 would need to be completely shut down during rush hour traffic for an hour or longer. This requires a permit from TXDoT 30 days in advance and may not even be approved by TXDoT. Shutting the hwy down without approval could (and most definitely would) result in the ISD being fined and possibly the county for my participation.If approved I'd have to have enough law enforcement personnel to shut down every road entering hwy 12 between the parade route and enough to block and reroute traffic at the hwy 12 and 87 intersection. Rerouting traffic would almost certainly cause large commercial vehicles to enter back county road which would cause damage to the roads and major traffic issues. I could go on and on but to put it simply, for the safety of the children as well as the audience that will be on the sidelines watching, we will have to stay with the route we've used in previous years. I will take full responsibility for this no one else is to blame. I would rather be safe and legal than be sorry. What we can and probably will do, is escort the floats etc. to school grounds afterward without shutting the highway down. Please if there are any concerns about this, feel free to contact me 409-224-9454. Thank you all and have a great night.
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