BY BROOKE SJOBERG & HALEY MCLEOD
Types of roads 1 Freeways: Large capacity roadways moving tra c from community to community 2 Arterial: Main roadways connecting residential and commercial areas in a community 3 Collectors: Connect neighborhood roads to arterials,
PHEASANT RIDGE DR.
The background
Stay tuned
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Several plan projects are ongoing. The sections of Kenney Fort Boulevard south of Gattis School Road are set to be open by the end of the year, Kuhn said. Many projects are in design phases or have yet to begin at all. Kuhn said the projects in the master plan will fully build out the city’s transportation system and take an unknown amount of time. Director of Transportation Gary Hudder said road project timelines can take around ve years from ideation to being shovel- ready after acquiring clearances.
Citywide surveys administered every two years show tra c has long been a resident priority. Carlile, a former accountant for the Texas Depart- ment of Transportation, said she believes road congestion has grown to “ridiculous” levels. To address congestion and enhance connectivity, part of the revamped plan focuses on collector roads, Kuhn said, which guide tra c from neighbor- hood streets to high-capacity arterial roadways. “If you don’t have [collector streets], then resi- dential streets often end up lling the function that is supposed to be done by a collector,” Kuhn said. Another priority of the plan update is addressing road safety in high-crash areas. Using data from studies of the city’s high-injury network—21 miles of roads that have higher rates of crashes—city sta created a safety action plan that commits to reduce
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reducing congestion on neighborhood streets 4 Neighborhood roads and streets: Provide direct road access to drivers from their homes
SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK COMMUNITY IMPACT
fatal and severe crashes by 2045. Over time, Kuhn said his department hopes to qualify for funding through the Vision Zero pro- gram, a national campaign to reduce road fatalities. “We’re doing a lot of things as a city to make sure safety is a priority,” Kuhn said.
Getting road-ready
2 years Design: Planning, conceptualizing and engineering infrastructure 1 year Utility design: Planning for water, gas, and electricity lines or utility poles 18 months-2 years Right of way acquisition: Obtaining land or property necessary for construction Up to 5 years Federal environmental clearance : Ensures project complies with regulations
The cost
Initially implemented as a funding strategy for the $1.2 billion in costs associated with the 2017 Transportation Master Plan, the city set a record for annual funding, investing a minimum of $240 million from 2019-24 to improve roadway capacity and connectivity in its Driving Progress program. The city often uses state and federal funding programs to o set project costs. For example, the safety action plan is included in the master plan with the intent of qualifying for federal funds through the Safe Streets For All program. City road work can also be nanced through the following revenue sources:
• Certi cates of Obligation: Debt that can be used to fund projects; doesn’t require voter approval • Roadway impact fees: Developer fees to o set costs of city road projects in developments • Sales tax revenue: Voters approved a half-cent of sales tax revenue to be used for transporta- tion and economic development in 1997. • State funds: Can include entities such as Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Texas Department of Transportation • Federal funds : City o cials seek federal grants funds for projects
SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK COMMUNITY IMPACT
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ROUND ROCK EDITION
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