Round Rock Edition | April 2022

TRANSPORTATIONUPDATES TxDOT project to improve I35 inRoundRock

COMPILED BY BROOKE SJOBERG

ONGOING PROJECTS

A.W. GRIMES BLVD.

GATTIS SCHOOL RD.

45 TOLL

HESTER'S CROSSING RD.

The project, which broke ground March 9, is scheduled to be complete next year. BROOKE SJOBERGCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

The Texas Department of Trans- portation broke ground March 9 on a project to improve southbound congestion on I-35 from Hwy. 79 to SH 45 N. Joined by county and city ocials, TxDOT representatives announced the start of a project to construct an extended entrance and exit lane between Hwy. 79 and SH 45 N to improve congestion. TxDOT Austin District Engineer Tucker Ferguson said this stretch of road is the 34th most congested portion of roadway in the state. Also in attendance at the ground- breaking were Terry Cook, Williamson County Precinct 1 commissioner; Frank Ortega, Round Rock City Council

South Mays gateway improvements Round Rock City Council awarded a contract March 10 to G. Hyatt for up- grades on Mays Street. Plans include adding walls and screening to conceal dumpsters and utilities, new signage, a new lighting system and landscaping. Timeline: April-late 2022 Cost: $2.52 million Funding source: Round Rock Trans- portation and Economic Development Corp.

member; and Ashby Johnson, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organiza- tion executive director. Ortega spoke to the current condi- tions of congestion, stating trac can often be a hindrance in his work as a real estate agent. In a release from TxDOT, Cook stated the road improvement would be critical for local growth, as Wil- liamson County remains one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. “This project is on a long list of improvements built out of a great working partnership between the county and TxDOT,” Cook said. If approved, the city could borrow funds at or below market interest rates and save around $3.7 million in interest, Chief Financial Ocer Susan Morgan said. “We want to take advantage of these where we can; it will save us a great amount of money and make those roads a little bit cheaper all at one time,” Morgan said. “It’s one of those [situations] where with a little bit of teamwork, we should be able to take advantage of some discounted nancing.”

TxDOT will extend the southbound auxiliary, or merge, lane from the Hwy. 79 entrance ramp to the SH 45 N exit ramp and eliminate a forced merge. The project is expected to be complete in early 2023, weather permitting. The agency awarded the construction contract to JD Abrams L.P. for $8.4 million as part of the Texas Clear Lanes project that seeks to address and resolve trac conges- tion at pain points across the state. Timeline: March 2022-early 2023 Cost: $8.4 million Funding source: TxDOT

KENNEY FORT BLVD.

DOUBLE CREEK DR.

FOREST CREEK DR.

45 TOLL

RoundRock approves nancing towidenGattis School Road Round Rock City Council approved a loan application for $27 million on Feb. 24 to fund the widening of Gattis School Road. Morgan said the current lending program was created to allow

Kenney Fort Boulevard project Round Rock ocials awarded a contract to Raba Kistner Consulting Co. on March 10 for material testing services associated with the Kenney Fort Boulevard project. Kenney Fort will eventually run between Hwy. 79 and SH 45 N.

communities to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19. The loan will be paid from the sales tax revenue generated for the Round Rock Transportation and Economic Development Corp. There is not yet a project timeline, but the $27 million will be used to fund the construction, right-of-way acquisition and related costs to widen Gattis School fromWindy Park Drive to Double Creek Drive.

Timeline: TBD Cost: $133,140

A.W. GRIMES BLVD.

ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF MARCH 15. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT RRKNEWSCOMMUNITYIMPACT.COM. Funding source: Round Rock Trans- portation and Economic Development Corp.

A T T I S S C H O O L R D .

DOUBLE CREEK DR.

WINDY PARK DR.

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ROUND ROCK EDITION • APRIL 2022