Lowe Estates Road Closure - Jap Lowe Dr and Others Now Closed to the Public

Jap Lowe Drive and other roads within the Braddie Lowe Estates are now private roads closed to public use as of June 1, 2024.

The Lowe Estates Landowners Association announced on Saturday, June 1, 2024, that the Lowe Estate Roads, including Jap Lowe Drive, portions of Chapman Road and Braddie Drive, are now closed to the public. 

The area near the San Felipe Springs, known as the Braddie Lowe Estates, has been a private road maintained by landowners since the 1960s. In 2003 an agreement was made with the City of Del Rio to help maintain the roads and open them up for public use. While the landowners that reside in the area do pay city taxes, the maintenance costs come out of their own pockets. 

The president of the Lowe Estates Landowners Association, Joe Skelton, told us that they have been working closely and collaboratively with the Del Rio City Council, Mayor, and Val Verde County Commissioners for many years to address the landowner’s concerns, but as there isn’t room in the city budget to maintain the roads and keep them up to standard at this time, they have exercised their legal right to privatize the roads once again. 

Jap Lowe Drive and the roads within the Estates suffer from potholes and other issues related to heavy road traffic. The area has also faced many issues as a result of illegal dumping of live and dead animals, hazardous waste and trash, which has had harmful effects on the nearby water supply of the San Felipe Springs which runs through the Estates, as well as harm to the livestock. 

While Skelton and the Landowners Association understand the concerns raised by the community about blocking public access to the road, especially during pickup and drop off at the nearby schools, it is a measure that they feel is necessary. “I’d like people to see it this way, would you open your gates to let people drive through your yards while you are responsible for any damage, or would you close the gates and protect your own land?,” Skelton told us about the need to close the roads to the public. “If you allow people to drive up and down your driveway, who is responsible for the wear and tear? You are, as the landowner,” he added. 

As of June 1, Lowe Estates Roads will be closed to the public with no trespassing signs and traffic will be monitored by cameras, with the possible installation of gates in the near future. The association is working with the City of Del Rio to de-annex itself from the city as they are not in need of and do not currently receive any city water, sewage, or road maintenance services, but are still paying city taxes. 

The decision was not made lightly and Skelton shared that the roads are not being closed in order to keep people out or isolate the Estates from the rest of Del Rio. “It’s not meant to be an ugly thing, and we are open to giving the public access to the roads again in the future,” Skelton adds. The landowners understand that this may not be the most popular option, but it is necessary at this point in time to preserve their land and water sources.

Skelton stressed that they are maintaining positive relationships with city and county officials, and if there is room in the city budget in the future to help maintain the roads, land, and water supply within the Lowe Estates, the landowners are more than happy to reopen the roads for public use.

This Journalist can be reached at alondra.sanchez@connectdelrio.com