Council action means the road may open as early as April 28.
While the name "Wille Way" has been used during the past three years of planning and construction, opening the roadway on April 28 also has opened the issue as to the official name of the street, according to Bee Cave City Manager Clint Garza.
Garza said that Travis County officials in charge of approving addresses for county 911 service have told the city that the name Willie Way is reserved. A online search for the road name refers to "Willie Way" as it was situated when it served the former The Backyard outdoor music venue on Bee Cave Parkway. That venue closed years ago, and in its place sits a vacant field awaiting future development of the 35-acre The Backyard master development. No other online reference to a Willie Way street could be found during a search by Community Impact Newspaper.
However, having two roadways with the same name or even similar sounding names is a potentially dangerous situation, Garza said.
"A duplicate road name or one that sounds alike could cause problems for 911 dispatch," he said.
Bee Cave's newest roadway, which runs less than a quarter mile behind the Target store at 3702 RM 620, is expected to relieve traffic in the nearby Ladera neighborhood. As envisioned by both civic and business members of the community, the new road that has been referred to as Willie Way would eventually run to Hwy 71 as part of the The Backyard development.
Here, the road would then connect at a future intersection with a street leading to the Village at Spanish Oaks, which is the site of a future upscale inn, shops and residential units. Construction of that project is in an early phase of site preparation.
The road serving the Village at Spanish Oaks at Hwy. 71 across from The Backyard is expected to be called Village Oaks Parkway, Garza said. Staff would likely recommend to city council at a future date that this name follow the roadway running north through The Backyard and to Ladera Boulevard.
"Whenever you can, you want to carry the roadway name as far as you can," he said.
