STARTING POINT
CONNECTINGOAKHILL BY BUS The $7.1 billion public transit expansion has signi cant implications for Oak Hill, as it will bring the 803 MetroRapid bus through the area. Capital Metro also launched a new on- demand transit service called Pickup in the area. Service that existed prior to Project Connect Oak Hill Flyer Oak Hill Flyer Alt Route
The Oak Hill Parkway project in Southwest Austin extends 6.2 miles on Hwy. 290 and 1.3 miles on Hwy. 71, and will expand the highway up to 15 lanes in some locations. Local businesses are bracing for ve years of construction, but some are optimistic about the outcome.
Service that is new with Project Connect MetroRapid Oak Hill extension North Oak Hill Pickup zone SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Route 315 Route 333 Pinnacle Park & Ride
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Jack Allen's Kitchen
W. WILLIAM CANNON DR.
Austin Art of
Fitness; Bene- t Nutrition Alkaline Falls
CIRCLE DR.
OAK HILL FLYER ALT ROUTE
Old H-E-B
DOWNTOWN AUSTIN
DRIPPING SPRINGS
ROUTE 315
METRORAPID OAK HILL EXTENSION
OAK HILL FLYER
PINNACLE PARK & RIDE
290
290
SOUND WALL
MOPAC
Ascension Seton Southwest Hospital
1826
New H-E-B
CONVICT HILL RD.
A CLOSER LOOK
ROUTE 333
The highway will mostly have 10-12 lanes but could have as many as 15 lanes in some spots.
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SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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KEY
Number of lanes
Stoplight
Ramps
you’ll see right now on the Oak Hill Parkway is that tra c is already spilling into the neighborhoods,” Wheelis said. Jay Blazek Crossley, execu- tive director at Farm and City, a group focused on regional transportation policy, said the project will add congestion. “The impact statement for that project... it very clearly says that they expect the fact that they’re doing the project to cause signi cant increases of tra c,” Crossley said. “They expect that ... the way they are doing [the project], it’ll cause a lot of sprawl and that will cause something like 50,000 more people to be The rst signs of construc- tion that Jonathan Pisana, owner of AustinArt of Fitness, noticed was the disappear- ance of the large oak trees, for which the area is named. “I just came in one day and was like, ‘Oh, wow what’s di erent?’ It took me a while. I was like, ‘Oh, man all the trees are gone,’” Pisana said. As part of its environmen- tal impact statement, TxDOT driving on MoPac.” Facing construction
looked at 518 large trees, those with a diameter greater than 10 inches. Of those, 281 needed to be removed. A law- suit spearheaded by environ- mental groups and some Oak Hill neighbors that aimed to halt construction on environ- mental grounds was denied in September, allowing work on the project to begin. Carol Cespedes, who is a longtime activist in the Oak Hill neighborhood, said it has been hard to watch others come down. “It was heartbreaking,” Cespedes said. Beyond the trees, Pisana, whose store is in the same strip mall as Lopez’ Bene-Fit Nutrition, said he does not anticipate the short-term con- struction having a large e ect on his appointment-only business. Pisana is hopeful that the project will help his business as the current lay- out of Hwy. 290 East presents challenges for drivers trying to turn left to access his shop. Alkaline Falls owner Edgar Perez said having better access from Hwy. 290 to his location could help his business gain customers who
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TO WEST HWY. 71 FLY OVER
2
3
290
3
TO SOUTH RM 1826
4
WESTBOUND FRONTAGE RD.
2
TO WILLIAM CANNON DR. OLD FREDERICKSBURG RD.
2
3
4
290
2
EASTBOUND FRONTAGE RD.
TOWEST HWY. 71
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Springs, the work will add two yovers linking Hwy. 290 and Hwy. 71 and cross street connections at Convict Hill Road, RM 1826, Scenic Brook Drive and Circle Drive. The work will alleviate congestion on the roadway that saw daily tra c of 69,491 cars in 2019 and reached capacity in the 1990s, Wheelis said. “One of the things that
a public information o cer with TxDOT. Construction will be totally complete in 2026, according to Wheelis. The Oak Hill Parkway project encompasses a 7.5-mile stretch of road, including 6.2 miles on Hwy. 290 and 1.3 miles on Hwy. 71. In addition to widening the highway that connects downtown Austin to Dripping
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on and westernmost sections of Hwy. 290 in Southwest Austin this fall. the eastern The project, which will mostly have 10-12 total lanes but could have up to 15 lanes in certain spots, is expected to have tra c in its nal setup by 2025, said Brad Wheelis,
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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