Work on the 183A Toll has been underway since 2005. The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority split the project in three phases, building each based on demand caused by rapidly growing communities. Compare each phase of construction below.
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
1431
• Cost: $238 million
• Cost: $105 million • Construction timeline: March 2010-April 2012 • Project length: 5 miles • Miles of shared-use path: 7 miles
• Cost: $259 million • Construction timeline: April 2021-early 2025 • Project length: 5.3 miles • Miles of shared-use path: 7 miles • Cost of tolls along full phase: N/A
29
HERO WAY
183
• Construction timeline: March 2005- March 2007 • Project length: 11 miles • Miles of shared-use path: 0 miles
183A TOLL
183
183A TOLL
183
183A TOLL
183
E. WHITESTONE BLVD.
• Cost of tolls along full phase: $2.49
• Cost of tolls along full phase: $1.29
45
N
N
N
SOURCE: CENTRAL TEXAS REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Liberty Hill Director of Planning Jerry Millard said he foresees increased economic development happening as a result of the new toll road. “You have a high-trac corridor; I think that’s what businesses are look- ing for,” he said. From 2007-18, property values along the 183A Toll grew by more than $1.2 billion, a 171% increase, according
to Mobility Authority data. Addition- ally, sales taxes collected within a half mile of 183A increased by 137% from 2010-17 to $2.9 million. Leander Economic Development Director Randall Malik said having frontage roads allows the city better access to development tracts right o¥ 183A, which attracts developers. “We believe that the completion of
the project ... is going to fast track the type of developments our peer cities such as Georgetown, Round Rock, Cedar Park all benet from with their completed infrastructure,” Leander City Manager Rick Beverlin said. The latest extension The Mobility Authority is conducting construction along the entire length of the new extension simultaneously. Drill shafts and bridge columns are nearly complete, Mobility Authority ocials said, and the remaining work includes building retaining walls and placing bridge beams. Five bridges carrying 183A and one overpass will be built along the 5.3-mile extension. Hwy. 29 is the only intersection that will allow the extended 183A tolled lanes to travel under a new bridge at Hwy. 29. Tunneling work is being conducted to allow for this. Work on a new pedestrian bridge over the San Gabriel River has started, but construction on the shared-use path spanning from Hero Way to Seward Junction Loop remains to be done. Sexton said because the toll road is being built between two existing
frontage roads, a lot of the impacts of the work are minimized. In the months prior to opening the extension, the Mobility Authority will determine toll rates based on factors such as demand and the agency’s nancial obligations for construction and maintenance of the road. Williamson County has spoken to the Mobility Authority about the possibility of an additional extension, should the growth in the area continue. While Sexton said the agency does not have plans to extend the 183A corridor right now, the Mobility Authority will monitor the growth to see if it justies more construction in the future. “Transportation planning is a mar- athon, not a sprint; it is sometimes 20-plus years from the time you plan something until you actually start construction on it,” Long said. “Get- ting those plans in place as soon as we can is vital if we want to be pre- pared for the future.”
In the next 20 years, the populations of Leander and Liberty Hill are expected to increase dramatically. During that time, both cities are forecasted to add more than 100,000 people. LEANDER LIBERTY HILL 120K 200K +1,895.03%
100K 120K 140K 160K 180K
+197.12%
80K 100K
40K 60K 20K 0
20K 40K 60K 80K
0
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
SOURCES: CITY OF LEANDER, CITY OF LIBERTY HILLCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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LEANDER LIBERTY HILL EDITION • MAY 2023
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