Cedar Park staff, council members and project contractors held a closed groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 8 to mark the start of the project.
The realignment relocates the part of Bell between Buttercup Creek Boulevard and Cedar Park Drive to the alignment of Old US 183. The new road will be a four-lane divided roadway, and the project also includes reconstructed intersections along the realignment, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and landscaping.
In late 2021, traffic will shift to the new alignment once construction completes.
The project is paid through $11.9 million in 2015 voter-approved general obligation bonds. Cedar Park City Council approved a construction agreement with Austin Underground Inc. on Aug. 27
Some vacant buildings were demolished along the construction path, according to the city.
Road realignment is critical for the Bell Boulevard Redevelopment Project, which will develop the area into a mixed-use development. The redevelopment project remains on schedule, according to the city.
"Moving this road is the crucial piece of the path for this project," Mayor Corbin Van Arsdale said in a video from the ceremony. "You've got to move the road in order to put all the buildings and the project together."
