BY HALEY MCLEOD
How we got here
By the numbers The current con guration of the
double along “the Y” intersection. Additionally, roughly one crash occurs every other day along the 7-mile length of highway. There were 1,245 crashes reported between 2016-2022, with 19 being fatal and 44 resulting in injuries. The crash rate along the corridor is 86% higher than the statewide average for similar rural roadways, according to TxDOT, which describes it as an “unreliable route” for public transit and emergency vehicles.
The need to reconstruct Oak Hill Parkway is due to several reasons, including its inability to accommodate tra c volumes in the area and aging infrastructure, Astarita said. This section of the highway is currently listed among the top 100 most congested roadways in the state by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Since 1995, the road’s capacity has been exacer- bated by population growth, according to Astarita. By 2040, tra c demand is expected to more than
highway is outdated due to area growth. Road segment: McCarty Lane to RM 1826
Ranked sixth in top congested roads in Austin 28 mph average speed on highway
313,002 hours lost (delay per mile)
SOURCE: CAPITAL AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
What they’re saying
Moving forward
Sta at nearby businesses told Community Impact they have found the ongoing construction disrup- tive, making their businesses harder to locate. Graze Craze employee Reti Abimbola said the No. 1 complaint she hears from customers is about the tra c. She said shifting road con gurations make it di cult for customers and delivery drivers to navigate the entrance of Oak Hill Centre, where the store is located. Oak Hill Centre is situated adjacent to the intersection of William Cannon Drive and Hwy. 290, where crews are erecting bridge piers to support the next segment of elevated roadway. However, stops like Oak Hill Social, located further west near more completed sections of the road project, have noticed that access to their busi- ness has increased. A new bridge now provides a direct crossing over the highway just in front of the business.
“There are more people now. ... I’ve been told a lot about the bridge right there. It wasn’t there before, and people that live around
The construction sequence that TxDOT has used for the Oak Hill Parkway project follows an “outside-in” approach. This prioritizes construction of the new frontage roads—on the outside—prior to the reconstruction of the main lanes. The construction team has nished new Hwy. 290 frontage roads, and tra c has been shifted onto the new roads while bridge construction at the overpass locations occurs. TxDOT o cials said the next segment to see construction will be near the Convict Hill Road and Hwy. 290 intersection, with road closures and detours expected to begin mid-June. As detours occur, TxDOT provides updates to local emergency services.
here say it’s convenient.” FRANKIE TRUJILLO, AN OAK HILL SOCIAL STAFF MEMBER
“It’s important to note that for the most part, there were no accommodations for pedestrians and bicycles in Oak
Hill before this project. … If you wanted to catch a bus, you were walking on the right of way, the grass to get to your bus stop.” BRAD WHEELIS, TXDOT SPOKESPERSON
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