The Texas Department of Transportation could conduct a study of Parmer Lane in the next few years.[/caption]

The Texas Department of Transportation is taking over a corridor study of Parmer Lane that was previously a city of Austin initiative, according to Cedar Park officials.

During a City Council meeting Sept. 8, Assistant City Manager Sam Roberts said Cedar Park had previously reached out to Austin officials to request an evaluation of Parmer, which falls inside of Cedar Park and Austin. He said the city of Austin dedicated $500,000 for a corridor study of Parmer between SH 45 and RM 1431.

Roberts said after Austin officials reached out to TxDOT in an effort to expedite the process, he was told the state agency took over funding of the study.

“Austin said they are not involved with the study anymore—TxDOT has taken it over,” Roberts said.

TxDOT confirmed it will conduct the study, Roberts said, though as of now it does not have a timeline. TxDOT plans to widen Parmer to a six-lane roadway from SH 45 to RM 1431 in March of 2020, which implies it will need to complete the study before then, Roberts told council members.

Stephen Hanuscin, senior traffic engineer in Cedar Park’s traffic signals and streetlights department, said back to school season is when the city starts seeing more congestion on Parmer.

As the roadway crosses SH 45, he said, Parmer transitions from six to four lanes; however, traffic data from TxDOT show the volume of traffic does not change. Hanuscin said about 38,000 cars travel on the road per day, and the transition to fewer lanes causes congestion at Avery Ranch Boulevard and Brushy Creek Road.

“Imagine if you have a funnel underneath a running hose, and you put your finger on it and you stop that water, if you keep doing that over and over, eventually that water is just going to flow out of the top of funnel,” he said. “And that’s exactly what happens with the traffic there.”

Cedar Park Mayor Matt Powell said the design of the roadway has not been updated to match the population growth that Cedar Park has experienced in the past few years. Hanuscin said the city met with Austin officials last year, and the two cities synchronized traffic signals at Brushy Creek and Avery Ranch, which has had mild success at helping with traffic congestion.

“What really needs to happen is this study and this conversion to a six-lane section," Hanuscin said. “That’s the solution. It’s a capacity issue.”

He said Cedar Park would reach out to the city of Austin to request data regarding Avery Ranch. Powell said since the road is of regional significance, he would also like to explore other solutions. He suggested contacting the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and TxDOT about the study.

“2020 is something, but I think 2016 is already too late,” he said. “Four years from now, who knows what [Parmer Lane] is going to be like.”