Cedar Park City Council members, staff and project stakeholders gathered May 6 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the Bell Boulevard realignment project.

The $27 million transportation project moved a section of Bell to the alignment of Old US 183 between Buttercup Boulevard/Brushy Creek Road and Park Street. Additionally, it upgraded the section into a four-lane divided roadway with raised medians, shared-use paths and landscaping improvements.

Mayor Corbin Van Arsdale said the need for the Bell realignment project came from community concerns about traffic and safety on the old road—including a high number of driveways on the road and a six-way intersection at Bell, Buttercup/Brushy Creek and Old US 183.

Construction on the project began in October 2020, and cars were redirected to the new alignment in August 2021. The Texas Department of Transportation declared the project substantially complete in December 2021.

The last step in the nearly completed construction will be paving a final asphalt layer, which city leaders said will take place in June once night-time temperatures remain above a certain point.

The project was funded by a 2015 voter-approved bond, which allocated $63 million for streets and roads.

The realignment was also outlined in the 2015 Bell Boulevard Master Plan. This plan calls for the creation of a $350 million mixed-use, walkable development known as the Bell District. Developed as a private-public partnership between the city and RedLeaf, the Bell District will have retail, residential and civic components, including the new city library.

“We also heard from a lot of the citizens that this was the ... only area of the city that was actually depressing and not growing financially,” Van Arsdale said.

According to a city press release, Phase 1 construction, which includes clearing vacant structures and installing utilities is underway, with the fist new structures expected to open in 2024.