TRANSPORTATIONUPDATES
COMPILED BY BENTON GRAHAM
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Soundwall construction, brush removal begins at OakHill
While major construction on Oak Hill Parkway is not expected until early 2022, the Texas Department of Transportation has begun work on some elements of the project. In the lead up to heavier construction, TxDOT will begin work on a sound walls, clearing and grading the project limits, and identi cation of caves and voids in the project area, said Brad Wheelis, a TxDOT public information o cer. There will also be intermittent nighttime lane closures. The $674 million project will create a freeway at the Y in Oak Hill, where Hwy. Virtual open house to begin for MoPac South The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation plan to revive the MoPac South project, beginning with a virtual open house running from Nov. 22-Jan. 7. The 8-mile project would run from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane—a segment that sees up to 179,000 cars and trucks per day, according to a Mobility Authority press release. “If we do nothing to address congestion, drivers could spend an additional 35 minutes traveling the corridor by 2035,” the press release reads. The six recommended build proposals would add one or two express lanes in both directions and cost between an estimated
290 and Hwy. 71 intersect. According to the TxDOT website, the freeway expects to open to tra c in 2026. TxDOT will soon begin work on a sound wall along the south side of Hwy. 290 from South View Road to Scenic Brook Drive near the Ridgeview neighborhood, Wheelis said. In addition, TxDOT has begun clearing trees, brush and other structures. Wheelis said that TxDOT is clearing and grading to provide room for the project’s improvements. “Neighbors should expect noise and heavy truck tra c as part of this process,” Wheelis added.
In addition to the crossing signal, the corridor programo ce will add high- visibility crosswalks at WilliamCannon Drive andMcCarty Lane. (Courtesy Austin Corridor ProgramO ce)
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ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF NOV. 15. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT SWANEWS COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM. Construction for the project will largely be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., but some weekend construction is possible. One lane may be closed. Timeline: Sept. 30-December 2021 Cost: $300,000 Funding source : 2016 mobility bond New pedestrian crossing signal coming to William Cannon Drive and McCarty Lane intersection The city of Austin Corridor Program O ce began work on a new pedestrian crossing signal at William Cannon Drive and McCarty Lane on Sept. 30. The signal will allow for people crossing at the intersection to press a button that will signal to oncoming tra c that someone is trying to cross. The intersection will also have Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps and high-visibility crosswalks, according to a corridor program o ce press release.
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$275 million-$350 million. The transportation agencies also still need to determine how the toll lanes would connect to downtown. The project has been on pause since a lawsuit was led by the Save Our Springs Alliance in 2016, which said that the environmental review of the SH 45 SW project, the MoPac intersection project and the MoPac South project should have been studied as one. The virtual open house will be available Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. Feedback can also be sent to mopacsouth@ ctrma.org.
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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION • NOVEMBER 2021
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