A story on the front page should be good news to the motorists forced to make unprotected turns from Bee Cave Road onto Redbud Trail.

According to West Lake Hills Mayor Dave Claunch, the Texas Department of Transportation has agreed to move up the timetable for making improvements to the dangerous intersection. A front-page photo of a near accident Sunday morning involving from a motorist turning from the westbound lane of Bee Cave Road to the entrance to St. John Neumann Catholic Church is evidence of inherent dangers requiring attention. We hope the improvements can be made before the frequent close calls turn tragic.

Ideally, a center turn lane will be installed on the remaining 2-mile stretch of Bee Cave Road without one. But the planned intersection improvements are a step in the right direction toward a safer roadway.

After TxDOT officials recently announced that there was no funding remaining for the continuation of a center turn lane through West Lake Hills, city officials requested that TxDOT at least add a protected turn lane at the intersection to reduce the danger. But the prospects looked dim for any time in the near future. While TxDOT officials are still evaluating the planned improvements, the latest development is a pleasant surprise.

Motorists being forced to block a lane of traffic while waiting to make unprotected turns is double trouble. Creating a significant bottleneck that backs up traffic is minor in comparison to the inherent danger of rear-end collisions. The only reason there aren’t more of them is that most motorists who use Bee Cave Road are cognizant of the dangers and drive accordingly. Until funding for the center turn lane can be found, every fix like the one planned at the Redbud Trail intersection is a welcomed reprieve.

We applaud both TxDOT and city officials addressing such dangers wherever it is economically feasible.