Rollingwood staff began soliciting bids April 28 for the first phase of a two-part project to restripe city roads, and a bid could be awarded by May 30, City Engineer Jay Campbell said.

The project would narrow lanes on eight of the city’s roads to 10 feet, creating a designated shoulder that would vary in size depending on an area’s road width, he said at an April 19 City Council meeting.

Mayor Roxanne McKee said the project aims to slow traffic on city roads and give more room to those who may walk or bike along the street. Striping also encourages drivers to stay closer to the middle of the road as opposed to its edges, a measure that can prolong a road’s life, she said.

Rollingwood had been awarded a grant by the Texas Department of Transportation that could have covered some of the costs for new bike lanes in the city, but City Council decided not to pursue the project after engineers determined city streets were not wide enough to install bike lanes without limiting space for parking, McKee said.

Phase 1

The first phase of the project is estimated to cost $42,491 and will add striping down the entire length of Rollingwood and Edgegrove drives, Campbell said.

A pair of crosswalks will be added to the intersections of Rollingwood and Gentry Drive and Rollingwood and Wallis Drive to offer an easier path for pedestrians to cross over to Rollingwood Park, he said.

The exact details of the crosswalks have yet to be determined due to Americans with Disabilities Act regulations that require ramps at both ends of crosswalks at a curb, Campbell said.

“We need to put in ADA curb ramps, even if we don’t have sidewalks,” he said. “The curb is considered an obstruction. It’s the city’s curb, but we’re looking to move the ramp where it wouldn't interfere with [residential] vegetation.”

According to a Rollingwood survey conducted in February, 76 percent of respondents felt it was important for the city to add crosswalks on its park frontage streets.

Phase 2

Striping in Phase 2 would narrow lanes to 10 feet on the following sections of six city roads:

• Hatley Drive from Vale Street to Park Hills Drive;

• Wallis from Rollingwood to Hatley;

• Riley Road from Rollingwood to Hatley;

• Vale from Rollingwood to Hatley;

• Gentry from Rollingwood to Ridgewood; and

• Nixon Drive from Gentry to Hatley.

Roadwork timelines for both phases have not yet been determined.