Calculating the cost
Features of the Road The proposed Hamilton Pool Road extension will have one lane in each direction and a turn lane to accommodate left-turning tra c where necessary. Bu ers and sidewalks will be built as well.
Costs for the Hamilton Pool Road project total $33.1 million. The project will be funded by the city of Bee Cave and developers that build along the road.
$7.52M New road from Hamilton Pool Road to Shops Parkway Hamilton Pool Road extension, roundabout and tra c signals $10.67M
Southwest collector road $14.91M
Shared-use paths Travel lanes
Turn lane
Concrete bu er
Road right of way
$33.1M Estimated cost:
Design speed: 30-35 miles per hour
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SOURCE: CITY OF BEE CAVE COMMUNITY IMPACT
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Next steps The city has traditionally funded major infrastructure projects through sales tax revenue, given that is where most of the city’s funds come from, Garza said. Because the land where the Ham- ilton Pool Road extension and other thoroughfare roads will be built is also on undeveloped property, developers who buy the land will be responsible for funding and building parts of the road, Garza said. Garza said the city requires develop- ment to “pay for itself” through cost sharing with private developers at the time they seek approval for their proj- ect from the city. If the thoroughfare plan is approved as presented, these road built by developers will eventu- ally connect, he said. Bee Cave Mayor Kara King said Jan. 25 she recognized that change is hard. “Our job is to not have one way for people to get around the city. I rmly believe that,” King said. “There’s not [just] one neighborhood or two neigh- borhoods taking the brunt of this thor- oughfare plan; we’re all taking it.”
Garza said the city had not conducted an environmental impact study for the project, as that comes later in the con- struction design process. One of the bene ts cited by Rodri- guez Transportation Group for sup- porting Option 2 is that it is designed to divert tra c away from Bee Cave Ele- mentary School. Ryan Hahn, a Falconhead resident whose child attends Bee Cave Elemen- tary School, said mobility and safety are huge concerns outside the school. Hahn said he personally witnessed a collision coming out of the school. “Every time we take a turn out of that school, it is an unnecessary risk,” he said. Hahn said he is also hoping a road moving tra c away from the school could help with travel times as he only lives 1.9 miles away from Bee Cave Ele- mentary School, and round trips for both pickup and drop-o can take up to 40 minutes, he said. Ultimately, Hahn said he trusts council to make the right decision for residents in Bee Cave. “I have learned over the years to trust city leadership and trust they will make the best decision for the most amount of people,” he said.
Sections of road with a large volume of turning tra c
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Sections of road without a large volume of turning tra c
SOURCE: RODRIGUEZ TRANSPORTATION GROUP COMMUNITY IMPACT
Rodriguez Transportation Group studied 11 scenarios in the project area. Miller and his team looked at how each scenario would a ect tra c in 2025 and 2040. “The greatest di erence in delay is seen at the intersection of Hwy. 71 and Bee Cave Parkway/Hamilton Pool Road,” he said. There was over a three-minute time savings for vehicles at this intersection in the full-build scenario, he said. Mixed resident reactions Around two-thirds of the com- ments Rodriguez Transportation received are in favor of the Hamilton Pool Road extension. Several residents opposed to the project told Community Impact they
were concerned about the ability to access their neighborhood as one of the primary reasons for building the road is to divert tra c from Hwy. 71. Bee Cave Homestead resident Car- rell Killebrew said the only exit for the Homestead neighborhood is o Great Divide Drive, and it would be more congested in any type of emergency. “I think, in the end, the tra c study is going to be misleading,” Killebrew said. “We don’t have any exposure to what the assumptions are in the tra c study.” Another concern residents raised was the impact to Bee Cave’s green space around the Brown property, a 44-acre parcel of land just o Great Divide Drive. During the Jan. 25 council meeting,
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION • FEBRUARY 2023
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