This summer will mark the beginning of improvements to Kelly Lane meant to increase the safety and longevity of the road and, in some parts, relieve congestion.

The first phase of the project starting this summer will begin on the east end of Kelly Lane from Weiss Lane to Moorlynch Avenue, Pflugerville Assistant City Manager Trey Fletcher said.

Fletcher said the second phase of the project—widening Kelly Lane between Murchison Ridge and Falcon Pointe Boulevard—will likely begin spring 2013.

The second phase will be a yearlong project, he said. Some sections of the road, primarily the west side, will also get updated drainage systems. Ultimately, all of the Kelly Lane corridor will be widened or improved.

"In the short term, this will be challenging," Fletcher said. "But in the long term, it'll fix several issues, including roadway safety, appearance and drivability."

There will always be at least one lane open throughout the duration of the entire Kelly Lane project, but Fletcher said construction will create some temporary congestion.

"We suspect construction on the far east part of Kelly Lane will affect fewer Pflugerville residents than the construction on the west portion of the road closer to Toll 130, where residents have no other roadway options," Pflugerville Mayor Jeff Coleman said. "So we're trying not to start the west part of this process until we've completed additional connections to Pflugerville Parkway for residents to use."

The construction of Colorado Sand Drive is also planned for spring 2013 and will ultimately serve as a north-south connector from Kelly Lane to Pflugerville Parkway.

Lone Star Boulevard, under construction in the future, will connect Falcon Pointe Boulevard and Colorado Sand Drive and could serve as an alternate route from Kelly Lane to Pflugerville Parkway.

Colorado Sand Drive improvements are estimated to cost $5.8 million paid through a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone; the Kelly Lane rehabilitation is estimated to cost about $300,000, Fletcher said.