Travis County commissioners selected a local civil engineering design firm Jan. 8 as a consultant on the Thomas Springs Road at Circle Drive project in Oak Hill. Commissioners awarded the $79,874 contract to Doucet & Associates Inc. The company qualifies as a historically underutilized business. The project—which will add a left-turn lane at the intersection—is a Travis County critical safety project. These roadway improvement projects do not need voter approval to receive county funding. “The intersection of Thomas Springs at Circle Drive has become very congested to a point where the wait time is unacceptable to motorists and jeopardizes the safety at the intersection,” Public Works Director Morgan Cotten wrote in an Aug. 22 memo. “A left turn lane on Circle Drive is highly necessary.” Construction cost estimates and a projected timeline are forthcoming. The information is not yet available as the project is in the early planning phases. In addition to providing cost and timeline analyses, Doucet & Associates will draft road and drainage design, prepare rights of way, coordinate utility relocation, and acquire development permits and environmental clearances.