New corridor now open between East Pflugerville, Round Rock

Nearly a decade since planning began, the third phase of the Pflugerville Parkway road project has reached completion.

Pflugerville city officials hosted a ribbon cutting Oct. 11 to dedicate the roadway, which now joins Pecan Street as the city's second major east-west arterial.

"This is one of the entrances to our community," Pflugerville mayor Jeff Coleman said at the ribbon cutting. "You can now get off of [Toll] 130 and drive all the way to Greenlawn [Boulevard] in Round Rock. This will be a great road for the people of Pflugerville and Round Rock."

Pflugerville Parkway replaces the former Pflugerville Loop with a 4.3-mile, four-lane divided roadway between Greenlawn Boulevard, near the I-35 and Toll 45 intersection, and Toll 130. The first two phases of the project between Greenlawn Boulevard and FM 685 were completed in 2007 and 2010, respectively, and were already open to traffic. The third and final phase of the project entailed widening the road between FM 685 and Toll 130 and replacing a low-water crossing bridge with an elevated bridge.

The cost of the entire project totaled $17.23 million, according to the city.

The new bridge was of significant importance to completing the roadway project, Pflugerville Assistant City Manager Trey Fletcher said.

"It was a low-water crossing, and during rains it would often become flooded,"Fletcher said.

According to the city, two emergency rescues took place at the crossing in 2004 and 2005 when motorists became trapped in their vehicles while attempting to cross the flooded roadway. Since then, the city had taken to closing the road following rains, said Terri Waggoner, City of Pflugerville Public Information Officer.

The final phase of the Pflugerville Parkway project also extends a 10-foot-wide hike and bike trail the city is planning to eventually connect to the trails surrounding Lake Pflugerville.

The final phase of the Pflugerville Parkway project will also present a new and welcoming entrance to the city for commuters exiting Toll 130, city officials said.

"Now when people exit onto Pflugerville Parkway, they will have a nice new road to come in on," Pflugerville City Manager Brandon Wade said. "This pathway is going to be one of the major trail connections between East and West Pflugerville."