The overview
The Draft Regional Transportation Plan identifies a list of local projects that CAMPO may like to accomplish by 2050, including widening Hwy. 71 from a four-lane undivided highway to a six-lane divided highway with a center median, according to city documents.
In recognizing that Hwy. 71 currently experiences heavy traffic congestion, the city would like to urge CAMPO officials to move the project to a higher priority level, City Manager Julie Oakley said.
The specific segment of Hwy. 71 that the city would like to see widened stretches from RM 620 to Vail Divide Drive, according to city documents.
The details
Having attended a recent town hall meeting held by CAMPO in which city officials urged the organization to prioritize Hwy. 71, Bee Cave officials have also held conversations with Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard and the Texas Department of Transportation to support Hwy. 71’s widening, Oakley said.
Currently, the widening project is proposed to be one of CAMPO’s “illustrative” projects, meaning that it will not receive as high a level of priority as the plan’s “constrained projects” list, Oakley said. The city is pushing for the project to be included in the “constrained” list in order to ensure funding for future expansion, according to city documents.
The city has also volunteered to cover engineering costs for improvements to the Hamilton Pool Road intersection in order to help facilitate the widening, city documents show.
What’s next?
CAMPO will hold a public meeting regarding transportation policy May 12 from 2-4 p.m.
Residents invested in Hwy. 71’s widening are encouraged to attend, Oakley said.
“Anybody is welcome to go to CAMPO and speak,” Oakley said. “If any residents want to speak on behalf of this project and this resolution, they are 100% welcome, and that would be impactful as well.”
If residents are not able to attend the meeting, Oakley recommended emailing Howard to share any input on the widening project.
