might commute through the area to get to Central Austin or Bee Cave. “That’s kind of one of the things that we had in mind opening up this spot,” Perez said. “‘I’m over here and coming out of work I’ll pick up somewater and take it home.’” Perez said he hopes there is an exit closer to his store. Currently, customers have to exit about a mile and a half before his store. TxDOT o cials said out- reach to businesses began in the late summer of 2020 with letters, emails and virtual brie ngs. The outreach will increase, as major construc- tion begins to have a greater a ect on businesses. HEB was one of the rst businesses to relocate as the construction grew near. It moved from its location in the heart of the Y at Oak Hill to a new facility on Hwy. 290, west of the Y, on Oct. 27. “HEB has been well- informed by TxDOT in regards to the Oak Hill Parkway for many years,” said Tamra Jones, a public a airs manager with HEB, in an email. She added that the new location will be convenient for customers and allow them continued access to HEB’s selection of products and services. Constructionplans TxDOT will start by building the frontage roads, which will expand up to four lanes for westbound tra c on Hwy. 290 near the Y. Once that work completes in 2023 or 2024, tra c will
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only transportation project that is poised to transform transportation in Oak Hill. Capital Metro’s Project Connect, the $7.1 billion public transit program, aims to bring its MetroRapid 803 line to the area. Sharmila Mukherjee, Capital Metro’s executive vice president of planning and development, said the goal is for the line to have buses, which would run through the western edge of downtown to the Domain, running every ve minutes. The Oak Hill extension will not be complete until after the parkway project wraps up. In addition to the MetroRapid extension, Capital Metro launched a new zone for its on-demand pickup service in the area in August as a part of Project Connect. As the area’s transportation landscape evolves over the next decade, business owners such as Perez are looking at the silver lining. “It’s kind of one of those things that you don’t know until it happens. … It could help out potentially,” Perez said.
shift to the frontage roads to accommodate work on the highway lanes and cross street bridges. Drivers can expect tra c shifts, including lane closures and a potential tra c light for westbound Hwy. 290 tra c turning ontoHwy. 71,Wheelis said. He added that crews will work at night to minimize changes to daytime tra c and shorten the project timeline. Much of that construction will take place in front of businesses and homes. “There’s going to be frontage roads, so you’re coming closer to some businesses [and] residences,” Wheelis said. TxDOT has already begun preparing for bridges between MoPac and William Cannon Drive on Hwy. 290, construction on new Hwy. 290 frontage roads west of Hwy. 71, and two sound walls near the Ridgeview neighborhood and Bell Quarry Hills Apartments. “A sound wall could lessen the impact. Soundwallsdonot prevent sound from coming in, so folks need to realize it’s a mitigation,” Wheelis said. Bus options The highway is not the
Construction has begun near Hwy. 290 and Scenic Brook Drive. (Benton Graham /Community Impact Newspaper)
DRIVING THE CHANGE TxDOT plans to phase the project, with major activity underway on the eastern segment of Hwy. 290 from MoPac to William Cannon Drive and on the western segment from Oak Meadow Drive to west of Circle Drive. Major activity will begin on Hwy. 71 and at the Y intersection in early 2022. All dates are subject to change. July 2021: TxDOT breaks ground on project Late 2021: Crews begin clearing trees and brush in the right of way Late 2021: TxDOT prepares for bridges east of William Cannon Drive on Hwy. 290 Late 2021-early 2022: Construction crews work on new Hwy. 290 frontage roads west of Hwy. 71 Late 2021-early 2022: TxDOT works on construction of sound walls in the Ridgeview neighborhood and Bell Quarry Hills Apartments Early 2022: TxDOT will begin changes to Hwy. 290 from MoPac to William Cannon Drive to ensure it lines up with the new lane con guration at the Y Early 2022: Crews will drill foundations for bridges along Hwy. 290 near the Y and William Cannon Drive Early 2022: Drivers will see tra c shifts, including a potential tra c light for westbound Hwy. 290 tra c turning onto Hwy. 71 2023-24: Cars will be shifted to the newly constructed Hwy. 290 frontage roads to allow for main lane and cross street bridge construction
2025: TxDOT will open road in nal setup
For more information, visit communityimpact.com.
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION • FEBRUARY 2022
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