Members of the Mobility Authority convened for a special meeting at Rollingwood City Hall on Dec. 16 to address concerns regarding the MoPac South project plan, specifically the latest iteration of that plan, Alternative 2C, which West Lake Hills and Rollingwood have disagreed with for its lack of consideration for east/west traffic.
At the meeting, Charlotte Gilpin, an engineer for the project, shared a presentation on the project’s history and future plans, which was followed by public questions and comments.
The overview
The project, which is currently in an environmental assessment, or EA, study phase, is limited to the 8-mile stretch of highway between Cesar Chavez and Slaughter Lane, and aims to improve traffic and travel times through the implementation of two new toll lanes in both directions of traffic on MoPac.
Between May and June, the project held eight technical work groups, with 18 stakeholders including Rollingwood and West Lake Hills city councils in attendance. Following that phase, on Nov. 12, the project began an open house period, welcoming public comments and feedback.
This open house period was recently extended by 30 days, through Jan. 28, according to the Mobility Authority website.
The discussion
The project has been criticized by both Rollingwood and West Lake Hills officials for failing to account for negative impacts on east-west traffic, prioritizing north-south traffic instead.
Gilpin said during her presentation that east-west traffic has not been studied as closely as it doesn’t pertain to the main purpose of the project, which is improving north-south mobility. However, a 2015 study conducted by the UT Center for Transportation Research, or CTR, found that the project would benefit east-west commuters, Gilpin said. No current update to that study has been provided; however, the Mobility Authority is looking into working with the CTR again to assess whether the results of that initial analysis still hold true.
Another concern brought forward by council was the closure of the current northbound toll road entrance closest to Bee Caves Road, which would be accounted for with new toll access opening just north of RM 2222.
Council member Sara Hutson brought forward concerns about the possibility of Rollingwood drivers needing to detour to William Cannon Drive to get on the toll road in a timely manner following these changes. She pointed out that using the general purpose lanes to get to the toll road further north instead would present challenges with the typically heavy congestion that occurs in the area between Bee Caves Road and 35th Street.
Gilpin said that even with delayed toll access, Rollingwood drivers would still see improved travel times driving north.
“All I can tell you is what the traffic model is communicating to us, and also remind [you] that we are looking at two different alternatives to create and add additional access points to the express lanes from Bee Caves and 360,” Gilpin said.
Mobility Authority Director of Engineering Mike Sexton said the congestion that currently occurs on MoPac would be improved by the project overall, contributing to reduced travel times even with delayed toll road access for some drivers.
What’s next?
Following the Mobility Authority’s open house period, the agency will begin preparing an open house report, cataloging and responding to comments received, and publish that online for the public to view, Gilpin said.
The draft EA for the project will likely be published mid-2025, followed by a public hearing in which the draft EA will be discussed in the later half of the year, Gilpin said. From there, the final EA would be prepared, including a report of that hearing and including public comments.
Public comments can be made on the Mobility Authority website.
