‘Last chance’ to preserve green space From the cover
Two-minute impact
Travis County Proposition A: Road projects
Travis County Proposition B: Park projects
The bond is split into two propositions. Proposition A would fund $233.06 million to improve roadways and add shared-use paths for pedestrians and cyclists. If approved, the bond funds would allow the county to incorporate its Safe2 road design in several two-lane county roads without shoulders, such as Bee Creek Road in the Lake Travis area. Instead of expanding those roads to four lanes, crews will add center and right-turn lanes where needed to keep traffic flowing. The design allows county roads to keep their scenic quality while still addressing traffic congestion, Commissioner Ann Howard said. Proposition B costs $276.44 million and would add new trails along Onion Creek and Gilleland Creek, build new sports fields at Bee Creek Sports Complex and Southeast Metro Park, and acquire green space and conservation easements in the following areas: Cow Creek, Gilleland Creek, Lake Travis, Onion Creek, Pedernales River, Post Oak Savannah Springs and Wilbarger Creek.
Total: $276.44M
Total: $233.06M
Parkland acquisition: $201.48M Gilleland Creek Greenway new trails: $30.23M Southeast Metro Park new sports fields: $15.72M Onion Creek Greenway new trails: $15.52M Bee Creek Sports Complex new sports fields: $8.46M Arkansas Bend Park new building: $5.04M
Cameron Road widening: $38.79M Arterial A new build: $33.25M Rowe Lane, Safe2: $31.03M South Pleasant Valley Road widening: $29.92M TxDOT right of way acquisition: $25.19M Blake Manor Road widening: $16.95M Bee Creek Road, Safe2: $16.62M Active transportation projects: $15.11M Pyramid and O’Reilly drives: $15.10M Howard Lane shared-use path: $11.08M
SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Lake Travis-area county bond projects
Zooming in
1 Arkansas Bend Park: new community center 2 Bee Creek Sports Complex: another synthetic sports field and other improvements 3 Bee Creek Road: Safe2 road design 4 Pyramid and O’Reilly drives: substandard-road projects 5 Cow Creek: land acquisition and conservation easements 6 Pedernales River: land acquisition and conservation easements 7 Lake Travis: land acquisition and conservation easements Prop A project Prop B project
While most of the roads listed in the 2023 bond are standard county projects, two of them—Pyramid Drive and O’Reilly Drive—mark a shift in county priorities, Howard said. Pyramid and O’Reilly drives are substandard roads—roads that were built along with a develop- ment and are often unpaved. Travis County has over 108 miles of these roads, and they technically aren’t the city’s or county’s responsibility to fix, Langmore said. During the bond committee’s community engage- ment process, a group of residents in the Apache Shores neighborhood successfully lobbied for the roads to land on the approved list of projects. After visiting the site, officials found emergency vehicles could not pass on the roads. Travis County’s move to include Pyramid and O’Reilly drives could open the floodgates for county leaders to tackle more substandard roads, Howard said. Commissioners Court voted to create a task force that will explore what funding options are available to fix the county’s remaining substan- dard roads, including federal grants or tacking the construction cost on residents’ homeowners association fees.
5
COW CREEK RD.
SINGLETON BEND
1431
6
PEDERNALES RIVER
7
Briarcliff
1
LAKE TRAVIS
620
BEE CREEK RD.
LARIAT TRL.
PYRAMID DR.
4
O'REILLY DR.
DEBBA DR.
71
Lakeway
3
KOLLMEYER DR.
Bee Cave
2
LAKEWAY BLVD.
N
28
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook