TRACKING IMPROVEMENTS
Roadways in the Lake Travis-Westlake area are owned by a variety of entities, making coordination key in addressing tra c and safety issues. While roads such as RM 620 and Hwy. 71 are major areas of concern for residents and cities alike, work on those roads is largely dependent upon the Texas Department of Transportation.
FLINT ROCK ROAD
Problem: Tra c builds up as drivers avoid the RM 620 and Hwy. 71 intersection.
Solution: In the long term, Lakeway plans to widen the roadway to four lanes and possibly install a light at Wild Cherry Drive.
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LAKE TRAVIS
620
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Owners: Lakeway and Travis County
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LAKEWAY
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PHOTOS BY GRACE DICKENS COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
SERENE HILLS DRIVE
Problem: Tra c backs up at the intersection of Hwy. 71 and Hamilton Pool Road when nearby schools release. Owner: TxDOT to several arterial roads, tra c builds as drivers try to avoid buildup at major intersections. Owner: Lakeway Problem: As a major connection
Solution: Lakeway is conducting a speed study and a queueing study to determine how far tra c gets backed up.
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R
BEE CAVE PKWY.
71
VAIL DIVIDE
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5
VAIL DIVIDE
Solution: Lake Travis ISD is
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ON POO L
completing a project that extends Vail Divide from Hwy. 71 to Hamilton Pool Road.
CRUMLEY RANCH RD.
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
result in backup on collector roads as well, Jones said. This has pushed city planners to look at local road plans for solutions. Lakeway has sought out a variety of solutions to alleviate tra c and safety concerns, such as extending Main Street or Birrell Street to open alternative travel routes from RM 620. The city will hold a $17.47 million bond election in November for sev- eral essential road projects, including road resurfacing and construction, right-of-way acquisition for RM 620, tra c signalization projects and pedestrian safety improvements. “Right now our sticking point is [RM] 620. I think that by far eclipses all the other issues,” Molis said. “The city is proposing a transportation bond in November, and there are a couple of projects that will lead directly to [alleviation on RM 620].” Future project considerations from the city may also add stoplights at critical intersections such as Flint Rock Road and Wild Cherry Drive, which coincides with a residential development and medical center, Molis said. Traveling along Flint Rock allows residents to go from Lakeway to Bee Cave without having to face the inevitable buildup where RM 620 and Hwy. 71 meet, but residents have raised concerns about high levels of
six-lane roadway and adding raised medians,
roadways. The roadways in Lake Travis-West- lake are controlled by various juris- dictions, making coordination no small feat, Lakeway Assistant City Manager Joseph Molis said. Hwy. 71, RM 620 and Hamilton Pool Road are state-owned roads managed by the Texas Department of Transpor- tation. Local collector roadways, such as Serene Hills Drive in Bee Cave and Lakeway Boulevard in Lakeway, are controlled by their respective cities. TxDOT initially planned to work
among other improvements. Although similar tra c and safety concerns exist for Hwy. 71, there are no planned improvements for the roadway, TxDOT Public Information O cer Bradley Wheelis said. Hamilton Pool Road has been undergoing construction in segments since December as the state seeks to widen the narrow roadway. “Not only is [Hamilton Pool Road] under construction, all the kids when there is no bus service have to be dropped o by their parents in a vehi-
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Pool Road are getting more backed up, and residents are feeling the pain of the tra c, he said. To increase safety on roads and prevent potential accidents, parents have been resourceful in develop- ing their own solutions to these problems. For instance, the Rough Hollow Parent Teacher Organization created its own signup sheet for parents to volunteer as crossing guards, and parents are setting up alternative pickup arrangements, Rough Hollow PTO President Natalia Mack said. “Tra c concerns a ect all families in our community. For those of us who live within a two-mile radius, it creates additional stress to have to come up with alternate arrangements every other week and wait in traf- c,” Mack said. “In spite of that, the community has creatively addressed most of these issues by coming up with carpooling arrangements.” Limited roadway control Back-to-school tra c is only part of the issue, however, Jones said. Cities are working within their means to ease tra c woes but ultimately have limited control over their major
on improve- ments to RM 620 between Hwy. 71 and H u d s o n Bend Road, but funding was pulled in 2020 to support I-35 i mp r o v e - ments, e ec- tively halting the project inde nitely. Once pur-
cle,” Jones said. “You can imag- ine that makes for a pretty long line of vehicles trying to get to school.” Other projects In response to the delays in RM 620 improve- ments, Bee Cave and Lakeway
“TRAFFIC CONCERNS AFFECT ALL FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. IN SPITE OF THAT, THE COMMUNITY HAS CREATIVELY ADDRESSED MOST OF THESE ISSUES BY COMING UP WITH CARPOOLING ARRANGEMENTS.“
NATALIA MACK, ROUGH HOLLOW PTO PRESIDENT
were sent back to the drawing board to nd answers for their grow- ing tra c problems. Increasing tra c on roadways such as RM 620 and Hwy. 71 inevitably
sued, the proposed plans will address safety and mobility concerns along this section of RM 620 by widening the existing four-lane roadway to a
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