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U-Haul Moving and Storage The Shops at Volente
UPROOTING BUSINESSES
Proposed pavement Unchanged pavement Proposed bridge structure Proposed sidewalk Signalized intersections
Ji y Lube
The Texas Department of Transportation is projected to displace roughly 20 businesses during the upcoming RM 620 at Anderson Mill Road expansion project, which spans roughly 1.2 miles. While the broader RM 620 improvement project stretches 9.8 miles from US 183 to the Colorado River, detailed schematics are only available for this portion of the project, according to TxDOT.
Direction of trac ow
620
Aected businesses
620
Crosswalk Proposed reconstructed
PROJECT OVERVIEW
EL SALIDO PKWY.
intersections X
183A TOLL
COLORADO RIVER
620
45 TOLL
ANDERSON MILL RD.
183
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
MAP NOT TO SCALE © GOOGLE EARTH
While still years away, businesses located in construction path plan for RM 620 widening
Tackling trac congestion In 2019, TxDOT conducted a rene- ment study on RM 620 from the Colorado River Bridge to US 183. It found commuters traveling on RM 620 experience major trac-related delays during morning and afternoon peak travel times, which results in conges- tion, reduced safety and hindered mobility, according to TxDOT. From Hwy. 71 in Bee Cave to US 183 in Austin, the RM 620 corridor handles 35,000-50,000 trips per day, which is well over TxDOT’s design standard for the road. “The reason they’re widening [RM 620] is because this portion of Williamson County is growing by leaps and bounds,” Kirkland said. “Until this road is widened and made safer for people traveling through this area, it’s always going to be an issue and problem.” Because Anderson Mill Road is one of the most-congested intersections on the corridor, the aim of this portion of the project is to enhance safety and improve mobility in the area. This $38 million project will add frontage roads, elevated bypass lanes at the Anderson Mill Road and El Salido Parkway intersections, turnarounds at both intersections, additional right-turn lanes, and a shared-use bicycle and pedestrian path, according to TxDOT. The RM 620 at Anderson Mill Road project is still early in the planning pro- cess. TxDOT Southwest Communica- tions Director Brad Wheelis said as part of the environmental process, another public hearing is anticipated to take place in May. By the winter, TxDOT’s
environmental decision is expected. Then, TxDOT will begin detailed design, right of way acquisition and utility relocation, which are projected to take up to three years. Construction could follow soon after. “Anytime you can improve the mobility and safety of a roadway, that’s a bonus,” Williamson County Commissioner Cynthia Long said. “It’s a benet for the people that will be passing through, but it’s also going to be a benet for the people who live and work in that area as well.” However, as a result, about 20 busi- nesses will be facing displacement from the RM 620 at Anderson Mill Road project alone, according to TxDOT. Businesses in this 1.2 mile-stretch facing displacement include Nagoya Steak and Sushi, Dos Mary’s Tex-Mex Bar and Grill, VCA Lakeline Animal Hospital, Mr. Sharky’s Car Wash, and multiple others. TxDOT will be working on right of way acquisition over the next three years. “The unfortunate part about any con- struction project like this is sometimes there are businesses or residences … that the right of way may have to be acquired from them in order to make the project happen,” Long said. “It’s frustrating, and I know it’s incredibly disruptive for those businesses.” Risk of displacement Businesses outside of the RM 620 at Anderson Mill Road project could be in jeopardy of displacement later. After having to relocate due to the Bell Boulevard realignment project, McCann settled Plush Fabric—which has been in business for 16 years—at
BY ZACHARIA WASHINGTON
“We don’t have the backing [like] … some of the big corporation businesses that are along the corridor,” she said. “The small busi- nesses are what make this commu- nity charming and interesting.” Over the next several years, TxDOT is proposing to expand the RM 620 corridor, stretching from US 183 to the Colorado River Bridge near the Manseld Dam, potentially wiping out several businesses along the way. The entire scope of the RM 620 expansion project extends 9.8 miles. It is a four-lane undivided roadway with a continuous center-turn lane, but due to an increase in population, some por- tions of the corridor could need a min- imum of 10 lanes, according to TxDOT. The RM 620 at Anderson Mill Road project, which is in the planning stage, spans 1.2 miles from just south of Foundation Road to Little Elm Trail. Based on TxDOT’s schematic map, multiple businesses in this stretch of road, including restaurants and establishments that have operated for more than a decade, will be in jeopardy of displacement. Others, such as Plush Fabric, which are located outside this 1.2-mile segment, have yet to learn if they will be relocated. “All businesses … need to keep their eyes and ears open to potential things that could happen in their world,” said Mel Kirkland, Cedar Park City Council member.
Plush Fabric Home Interiors could be facing its second relocation, this time around due to the Texas Depart- ment of Transportation’s upcoming RM 620 expansion project, and owner Sydney McCann is hoping small businesses are treated fairly.
ROAD TO RM 620
The RM 620 corridor will undergo a series of improvements in the next several years. The RM 620 at Anderson Mill Road widening project is in the planning phase.
2019 • RM 620 renement study from the Colorado River Bridge to US 183 202123 • Environmental study • Public meetings and public hearing to gather opinions from the community Late 2023 • Environmental decision Late 202326 • Detailed design phase • Right of way acquisition • Utility relocation 2026TBD • Construction (contingent on funding)
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
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