Travis County Commissioners on Dec. 18 approved an additional $52,380 for services considered optional in March when they signed the contract.
Sturdier ditch design and more robust grading—to the tune of $35,560—will be required to support the new 2-foot shoulders that will provide buffers for cyclists. And, due to critical environmental features—namely canyon rim rock that runs throughout the corridor—variance requests are required. The requests, which will cost $16,820 to prepare, will be submitted at a later date for commissioners’ consideration, according to county documents.
Voters approved $3.3 million of bond funds in 2011 to address bicycle transit in the county. The court appointed members to a bicycle safety task force to develop recommendations on spending those funds.
Commissioners approved the list of recommended bicycle safety projects in May 2016. In addition to the Bullick Hollow Road project, the projects include:
- adding bicycle facilities on Howard Lane to improve connectivity to Capital Metro’s Howard Lane bus station
- adding shoulders along Circle Drive from West Hwy. 290 to Thomas Springs Road
- smoothing road surface for cyclists along shoulders of Southwest Parkway from Travis Cook Road to West Hwy. 71
- adding a pedestrian hybrid beacon at Quinlan Park Road near Steiner Ranch Elementary School
- adding a pedestrian hybrid beacon at Johnny Morris Road at Daffan Lane
