Surveying started in late August at the Lakewood Drive/Spicewood Springs Road intersections and the RM 2222/Courtyard Drive intersections. Work should not affect traffic, although crews will occasionally be using heavy equipment, according to TxDOT.
Loop 360 is a major transportation corridor for residents of West Austin, according to TxDOT. The 14-mile road runs from US 290/Hwy. 71 on the south end to US 183 to the north. The Loop 360 project, costing $250 million, aims to improve traffic flow and safety along the corridor by improving nine intersections.
Construction is scheduled to start in 2022 and will take two to three years at each intersection.
RM 2222/Courtyard Drive
The project aims to improve traffic flow through the RM 2222 intersection by constructing a new diverging diamond intersection, or DDI. According to TxDOT, DDIs improve the flow of through traffic moving through the intersection by shifting traffic from the right side to the left side of the roadway, making it easier for drivers to make left turns and for through traffic to travel through the intersection.
Located a half mile south of the RM 2222 intersection, the Courtyard Drive intersection will see the removal of signals at the intersection that will be replaced with an underpass.
The additions of a shared-use path and sidewalks will also accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.
Lakewood Drive/Spicewood Springs Road
According to TxDOT, the project includes removing traffic signals at the Lakewood Drive, Spicewood Springs Road West and Spicewood Springs Road East/Bluffstone Drive intersections.
Overpasses and U-turns will be added for Loop 360 traffic over the Lakewood Drive and Spicewood Springs Road/Bluffstone Drive intersections.
Shared-use paths and sidewalks will also be added for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Construction at Lakewood is expected to begin in early 2023. Spicewood Springs construction is scheduled to start in mid-2025, according to TxDOT.
Lakewood had a last-minute design change in 2019 when, after community feedback objected to the proposed removal of an established oak tree, the intersection project was moved 50 feet east to accommodate the tree.
Construction for each intersection is scheduled to take three years.
