A project aiming to reduce fatal crashes on Hwy. 71 by implementing medians has been put forth by the Texas Department of Transportation.
The overview
The Hwy. 71 Safety Improvement Project, presented at the Bee Cave City Council meeting Oct. 8, will be fully funded by TxDOT and is designed to reduce the risk of crashes on a 6-mile stretch of Hwy. 71 by adding medians.
The stretch of road in question runs from Uplands Ridge Drive to Bee Creek Road. Congestion on this portion of the highway has led to increased crashes in recent years, with left-turn crashes being among the most severe, according to the presentation by TxDOT shared at the meeting.
By introducing new medians, Semora said that crashes can be reduced by up to 39%. Semora emphasized that the project’s focus was primarily on loss of life and reducing the number of fatal crashes.
Work on the project could start as early as 2025, but TxDOT will wait for community feedback before finalizing the location of median breaks. There will be 15 median breaks in total to allow for easy access to neighborhoods and shopping centers off the highway. Proposed locations for those breaks have been included in maps provided by TxDOT.
The discussion
Council member Kevin Hight questioned how well the plan will account for traffic backup on this stretch of highway.
“I think everybody is keen on making this a safer section of road. What’s making it so dangerous is the sheer volume of cars,” Hight said. “How are you addressing just the overall flow?”
Residents shared his concern, with several specifically mentioning the turn from Hwy. 71 onto Hamilton Pool Road and the traffic buildup that tends to occur there.
In response, Semora stated that medians can actually improve traffic flow.
“Our numbers tell us that when we put the medians in, we’re actually able to improve mobility.” Semora said. “When you control the points, you move or you allow the U-turns in key locations, you can now time the signals where they can be more effective.”
However, Semora acknowledged that traffic may still back up in that area.
“We understand it needs some attention. So whether that's a future dual left or an innovative intersection, continuing those conversations I think is very important for that area because you can only do so much to time a signal to move traffic once it gets over capacity,” Semora said.
Another topic of debate was the lack of a median break by the H-E-B just north of Uplands Ridge Drive. Semora said those concerns will be addressed in updated plans.
“We’re going to fix that,” Semora said. “Our thought in previous conversations was that there was a desire to localize traffic to Upland Ridge, but we now know that that's not the case, and so we're going to meet with H-E-B and work with the team on how we can add a cut.”
More info
On Oct. 17, from 4 to 6 p.m., there will be a virtual workshop with an in-person option at City Hall regarding the project. Defined drawings of the medians and locations of the currently proposed breaks will be provided, and residents are invited to attend and provide feedback on the plans.
