The Austin Board of Realtors will add a turn lane into its headquarters on Spicewood Springs Road to help alleviate congestion. ABoR opened the new building in December.[/caption]

Construction is scheduled to begin the week of June 29 on a turn lane into the Austin Board of Realtors headquarters at 4800 Spicewood Springs Road to help alleviate congestion on the two-lane roadway.

The company will spend $275,000 on the project, which will take about two months to complete. ABoR aims to finish construction before the start of the school year. Pavement for the turn lane will be added on ABoR’s property on the north side of the roadway. Drivers turning left into homes or businesses on the south side of Spicewood Springs Road would also be able to use the turn lane.

Adding the turn lane allows ABoR to uphold a promise it made to residents when it opened the new building in December to alleviate increased traffic.

“We’re also increasing our investment in more robust landscaping and new trees along the turn lane in addition to ABoR’s ongoing efforts to make the local environment more sustainable through our building’s solar paneling, energy efficient heating and cooling and recycled building materials,” ABoR CEO Paul Hilgers said.

ABoR has been working with the city of Austin to reduce the effect of construction on traffic and residents. At times Spicewood Springs will be reduced to one lane, but crews will attempt to limit lane closures to nonpeak hours. The organization will provide notice to the community when lane closures are anticipated.

Traffic congestion on Spicewood Springs Road has been a concern for residents recently with the opening of the new ABoR building and other project proposed for the area, such as the Overlook at Spicewood Springs office project near the ABoR building and the Austin Oaks Planned Unit Development near MoPac.