Standoff between TxDOT, railroad, and city leaves railroad crossing unpainted despite continued crashes

A city in the Texas Hill Country is in a three way standoff with the railroad and the state Department of Transportation when it comes to painting the roadway near the train tracks. 

Schertz, Texas has seen 11 train crashes since 2022. Most of them occurred at Schertz Parkway and FM 78, with the most recent in June 2026. Now, the city is looking to paint the roadway around the tracks to assist truck drivers and motorists in understanding a safe stopping distance, but the process is being hindered by bureaucracy.

According to KSAT, Schertz Police Chief Jim Lowery blames a lot of the crashes on truckers ignoring “no trucks” signs and blindly following GPS. The city has worked to install more signage, flashing lights, and more officers stationed near the tracks to help prevent these crashes, but the city cannot seem to get permission to paint the roadway leading up to the tracks. 

City officials say that they cannot paint road lines showing drivers where to stop ahead of the tracks without permission, but getting a response out of TxDOT and Union Pacific, who owns the tracks, has been difficult. Meanwhile, both TxDOT and Union Pacific claim that they have not heard from the city of Schertz at all. 

TxDOT issued the following statement when asked about the situation: “TxDOT maintains a strong working relationship with the City of Schertz and regularly coordinates with city staff on transportation and traffic safety matters. We remain committed to working with our local partners to address concerns and identify appropriate solutions… Regarding questions about railroad crossing striping, TxDOT would need additional information about the specific request being referenced. At this time, we are not aware of a pending formal request from the City of Schertz related to this matter.”

Union Pacific explained the situation similarly: “Union Pacific has a process in place to seek approval for projects such as restriping that prioritizes the safety of all involved when the work is done near our tracks. Requests can be made through our Public Projects Contact Center

It typically takes about four weeks for our team to process. It does not appear – in our records – that the City of Schertz has sought approval for the restriping project… State and local highway authorities are responsible for maintaining safety stripes and pavement markings on public roadways.”

When asked, the City of Schertz Manager stated the following: “Our Streets department has been in communication with TxDOT regarding restriping the portions of the roadway that fall under their maintenance responsibilities. This is a collaborative effort between Schertz and TxDOT maintenance staff. As part of that process, coordination with Union Pacific is needed before work can occur within the railroad right-of-way.”