After a delay of about a year, the Texas Department of Transportation is nearing completion on two projects at RM 2222 and RM 620.
The construction of a new bypass road, which broke ground in late 2019, is on track to finish early next year, TxDOT public information officer Brad Wheelis said.
The northbound bypass lane opened over the summer, and the southbound bypass lane will open in November, weather permitting, he added.The stretch from Steiner Ranch Boulevard to the bypass road will add an auxiliary lane to allow for less congestion for turning traffic. The project will also consist of turn lanes, medians and shoulders on RM 2222 between the new bypass road and RM 620, according to the TxDOT website.The widening project, which broke ground in late 2018, extends along RM 2222 from Bonaventure Drive to Ribelin Ranch Drive and is on track to finish this fall, Wheelis said. In both directions, the road will be between two and three lanes wide, and it will also add a raised median for the entire stretch, he added.
The relocation of a utility on the widening project led to delays for both projects.“The widening project was delayed by utility relocation for about a year. Because the projects are tied to one another, this delayed completion of the bypass project as well,” Wheelis said.The bypass project cost $10 million and received $7.5 million in funding from the city of Austin through the 2016 mobility bond. The widening project construction cost is
$17.2 million, according to information provided by TxDOT.
Reduced speed limit coming for Hamilton Pool Road construction
When a road widening project begins on Hamilton Pool Road later in 2021, motorists will need to tap the breaks and slow down.
Bee Cave City Council approved Sept. 14 temporarily reducing the speed limit to 50 mph once work begins on the $13.7 million road project under direction of the Texas Department of Transportation.
Work along the 6.3-mile segment, which runs from RR 12 north to Hwy. 71, will add a 12-foot-wide center turn lane and 6-foot shoulders, according to information provided by TxDOT. Work will be completed on one side of the roadway at a time to keep a traffic lane open, according to TxDOT, and according to the Bee Cave order, fines for speeding in this area could reach as high as $400.Construction crews will be present to direct traffic. The city’s ordinance states speeding violations will carry higher fines when work crews are present.In 2020, more than 22,000 traffic crashes occurred in Texas work zones, according to TxDOT.
Oak Hill Parkway construction underway
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas denied a motion to halt construction of the Oak Hill Parkway in Southwest Austin on Sept. 13. Judge Robert Pitman found in his ruling that the state transportation agency had provided sufficient detail about the project's environmental impact, which plaintiffs said did not account for the project's concrete batch plant. The $674 million project broke ground in July and will add a 12-lane freeway through the Y in Southwest Austin. The Texas Department of Transportation estimates it will open to traffic in 2026.
