Lakeway, Travis County set to split cost of improvement project

Lakeway residents chose in the Nov. 6 election to approve issuing general obligation bonds to generate the needed revenue to fund the city's share to improve Flint Rock Road. The bond for Flint Rock Road, located just off of RR 620, was approved with 3,910 residents, or 63.69 percent, voted in favor of the bond, while 2,229 residents, or 36.31 percent, voted against the proposal.

The bond election, proposed by the Lakeway City Council on Aug. 20, authorized the city to issue up to $4.3 million in bonds to improve the road and is expected to increase the city's debt service tax rate by $0.0075, or roughly $29 per year for the average home in Lakeway, which is valued at $385,000, according to city officials.

"It's badly needed," Lakeway City Councilwoman Dee Ann Burns-Farrell said of the pending improvements to Flint Rock Road. "We can't put it off, so it must be done."

The city plans to add left-turn lanes at major intersections, add shoulders, flatten hills and straighten curves on Flint Rock Road. The plan would also widen a portion of the roadway to four lanes.

In 2011, Travis County voters approved a $4.13 million bond referendum to improve its part of Flint Rock Road. The county and City of Lakeway have been working together on the project because the road alternates between county-owned and city-owned land. While roughly two-thirds of the property is in Travis County, the more expensive construction is on Lakeway property, which results in a near 50-50 split of the estimated $9 million project.

Flint Rock Road has seen an increase in usage, according to the City of Lakeway, with the opening of the Lakeway Regional Medical Center, and future developments in the area will increase the road usage as well.

When fully built-out, which could take up to 10 years, LRMC could bring in more than 9,000 cars per day, according to a 2008 traffic study report.