ONGOING PROJECTS
1. The city of Cedar Park is working on the reconstruction Anderson Mill Road from RM 1431 to just south of Gaspar Bend. The road will be realigned as a four- and two-lane roadway. The city executed a planned traffic switch on the roadway Mar. 8. The project, funded by the city of Cedar Park and Williamson County, costs $6.7 million.
Timeline: January 2017-late summer 2018
2. The North Brushy Street streetscape project in Leander will see the repaving and widening of Brushy from South Street to Broade Street and streetscape improvements. The city opened the project for bids March 15, and City Council could award the project as soon as April 5, according to city spokesperson Mike Neu. The project is expected to cost
$1 million, funded by 2016 general obligation bonds.
Timeline: April 2018-November 2018
3. The RM 2243 feasibility study is on hold pending coordination with the city of Leander, according to Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Diann Hodges. Neu said the city is in discussions with Williamson County and TxDOT about the best concepts for improving east-west mobility in the study area. The study began in February 2015 to determine potential future roadway improvement projects on the roadway from Toll 183A in Leander to I-35 in Georgetown and costs TxDOT $710,719.
Timeline: To be decided
4. Construction on the New Hope Drive extension from Cottonwood Creek Trail to Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Cedar Park will continue through the summer and is expected to be finished this fall. The project includes the construction of an extension of Arrow Point Drive south to La Jaita Drive. The approximately $7.8 million project is funded by 2015 general obligation bonds.
Timeline: August 2017-fall 2018
RECENT UPDATES
5. Bagdad Road widening
The city of Leander is in the process of widening Bagdad Road from two to five lanes, with a center turn lane, between Hero Way West and Collaborative Way. Road widening work will continue through April. Due to unanticipated weather delays and utility locations, the estimated completion date for the project has now been moved to January 2019, Neu said. It was previously expected to be complete in October 2018.
Timeline: January 2018-January 2019
Cost: $8.5 million
Funding sources: city of Leander and Williamson County
6. Cedar Park turn lanes
Cedar Park City Council authorized an agreement with Rogers Design Services on Jan. 25 for the design of improvements including: A a westbound right-turn lane at Whitestone Boulevard’s intersection with Walton Way; B an eastbound right-turn late at Whitestone and Discovery Boulevard; C a westbound right-turn lane where Whitestone meets the Railyard Shopping Center; D a northbound right-turn lane at Lakeline Boulevard’s intersections with West Park Street; E a northbound right turn lane at Lakeline Boulevard and Treeline Drive; and F extending the northbound right- and left-turn lanes where Lakeline meets New Hope Drive.
Timeline: to be decided
Cost: not to exceed $1.4 million
Funding source: Cedar Park Community Development (Type B) Corp.
7. Metro Drive extension
Metro Drive in Leander will be extended from the Capital Metro Leander Station Park & Ride to Mel Mathis Boulevard. The city began accepting bids for the project March 15, and Leander City Council may award the project April 5 or later, Neu said.
Timeline: April 2018-April 2019
Cost: $4.5 million
Funding source: 2016 general obligation bonds
8. Leander asphalt rejuvenation
The city of Leander accepted bids for an asphalt rejuvenation project through Feb. 27. The project includes applying a rejuvenating agent to asphalt on roads, including A Greener Drive, Lit Candle Cove, Bello Drive, Candlelight Drive, Deercreek Lane, Joes Cove, Les Cove, Sil Cove and Grassland Drive; and B Dew Drop Lane, Bent Wood Drive, Mason Street, Northern Trail and Teal Lane.
Timeline: TBD; projected to be finished by early August
Cost: to be decided
Funding source: city of Leander
HOW IT WORKS
How does the state of Texas measure its future roadway needs?
The method the Texas Department of Transportation uses to decide on future road projects is based on dozens of factors, according to its manual for development, a state and federally mandated series of documents that are continually updated.
The process of obtaining data is the same, but handled differently by the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metro areas. In Austin, TxDOT and the metropolitan planning organization compile the information.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments works with TxDOT to produce the Dallas-Fort Worth Travel Model. The Houston-Galveston Area Council does the same modeling work with TxDOT for the Houston area.
In addition, traffic analysis zones, districts and sectors are formed by the metropolitan planning organizations throughout the state and TxDOT. There are 26 districts throughout the state with populations that exceed 200,000 that use data from studies, surveys and devices, including automatic traffic recorders, to update the state’s road plan.
MPOs conduct a roadway inventory. Yearly numbers of population, households, employment changes, retail employment and service employment are combined with household and employment survey information to adjust the overall plan each year. Lanes, speed limits, travel times and volume are other factors recorded.
The collected data is then used to update the needs throughout Texas.
