Cali Hoban says each time her fence is destroyed, it costs her family $200-$400 to repair it

KWTX
By Chantel Ropp
Published: Jun. 23, 2023 at 3:23 PM GMT-7

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - Chaparral Road has always been a busy street, according to long time Killeen resident Cali Hoban, but ever since its Rosewood Dr. intersection opened up, problems began for her and her family.

“We have had now 16 crashes into the fence,” Cali Hoban, a Killeen landowner whose fence has been crashed into 16 times, told KWTX. “So people are not heeding to the stop sign, and they are just running straight through. We get calls in the middle of the night, most of them are in the middle of the night.”

At least one of those late night crashes has been from an intoxicated driver, Hoban says.

Each time the fence is destroyed, which costs $200-$400 to repair, it’s not the city who pays to rebuild it.

“We have not received any help fixing the fence,” Hoban said. “It’s all on my dad, my husband, the kids, and we just come out here and do it ourselves.”

It’s gotten to a point where Hoban – and her children – are fearful for the family’s livestock, which roam on the 90-acre piece of land.

“We worry that our animals are gonna get out from all the car crashes,” Collins Hoban, Cali Hoban’s daughter, said.

Currently, just a stop sign sits at the intersection. Hoban says neighbors and city officials have proposed some solutions that feel like a last-choice option for her.

“They told us to put up cement blocks and big structures right here, but we just really worry if somebody comes at the speed they’re going through here, it’s gonna be a really bad outcome, and we don’t want that,” Hoban said.

Hoban says she’d like the city to install a flashing sign instead to give drivers more warning without a potentially fatal ending.

According to a statement from Killeen’s director of public works, Jeff Reynolds, the city is doing just that.

“Our transportation department has ordered flashing LED lights that will be added to the stop sign at the intersection of Rosewood and Chaparral. The flashing lights will be added to the entire perimeter of the stop sign, making it significantly more visible to oncoming traffic. A future project to widen Chaparral Road, will include upgrading this intersection by either adding a signal or a possible roundabout. Staff will continue to monitor activities at this intersection.”

With new lights in place, Hoban is hopeful her fence can avoid a 17th crash, and her family can have peace of mind going forward.