Following a public feedback workshop, the Texas Department of Transportation’s project to reduce fatal crashes on Hwy. 71 by implementing medians has been updated to reflect changes to four medians, including two new median break points and two break points that were moved and replaced.
The overview
The two newly created median breaks are projected to be located at the intersections of Caprock Summit Drive and Spanish Oaks Club Boulevard. Median breaks at Willie Way and Uplands Ridge Drive were also moved slightly to instead be placed at Great Divide Drive and H-E-B’s front entrance. All of these median break additions and changes were requested by members of the community and city officials, TxDOT Public Information Officer Antonio Lujan said to Community Impact in an email.
City officials and TxDOT continue to prioritize safety and mobility in their plans, Lujan said.
Finalized input from the city will now be requested, following the addition of two new interim council members in Bee Cave, and ultimately incorporated into the plans, Lujan said.
The background
The median breaks are part of TxDOT’s Hwy. 71 Safety Improvement project, which is fully funded by TxDOT and aims to reduce crashes on a 6-mile stretch of Hwy. 71, between Uplands Ridge Drive and Bee Creek Road.
Crashes on this stretch of highway have increased steadily in recent years, and medians can reduce crashes by up to 39%, according to a presentation shared by TxDOT in October, when the project was presented to Bee Cave City Council.
The project remains on schedule and construction is expected to begin this fall, Lujan said.
What else?
Based on feedback from TxDOT’s workshop, additional storage capacity—meaning middle lanes—have also been incorporated to improve mobility on this stretch of Hwy. 71 at the following intersections:
- Sweetwater Village Drive (westbound left-turn)
- Vail Divide (east and westbound)
- North Joint Access Road (eastbound left-turn heading north)
- Bee Cave Parkway/Hamilton Pool Road (eastbound left turn heading north)
