Construction on the final two segments of proposed improvements to Kelly Lane is expected to begin Dec. 1.

The first segment of the three-phase project was completed last year and rehabilitated the stretch of Kelly Lane between Weiss Lane and Moorlynch Avenue. The final phases will be handled concurrently and bring improvements to Kelly Lane's two-lane section from Moorlynch Avenue to Falcon Pointe Boulevard West, and widen the road to four lanes between Falcon Pointe Boulevard West and Murchison Ridge Trail.

"The road needs maintenance [between Moorlynch Avenue and Falcon Pointe Boulevard West], but it's not warranted at this time for widening," Pflugerville Assistant City Manager Trey Fletcher said. "This is the scope we feel comfortable pursuing."

Fletcher said the widening is intended to relieve the most congested section of Kelly Lane, which sees high amounts of traffic because of drivers accessing the Falcon Pointe subdivision, schools and commercial developments in the area, including the planned Hawaiian Falls water park at FM 685 and SH 130. Fletcher said the city is also in the process of building new arterial roads that should ease water park traffic on primary thoroughfares such as Kelly Lane.

"If congestion occurs, it provides people who aren't going to the water park viable alternative means of circulating in that general area," Fletcher said. "We felt this was as good of a site we could muster to facilitate the water park."

The improvements will also help connectivity for drivers looking to travel to West Pflugerville or Austin. Before, travelers had to face congestion on Kelly Lane or use Weiss Lane.

"Absent Becker Farm Road and Colorado Sand Drive, all of the traffic relied on Kelly Lane for getting into Pflugerville and Austin," Fletcher said. "Kelly Lane is truly a critical [roadway] to serving the developments along that corridor."

The widening project will also include reinstalling a traffic signal at Kennemer Drive and installing one more each at Colorado Sand Drive and Falcon Pointe West Boulevard.

During construction, the city plans to keep at least one lane open in each direction for drivers on Kelly Lane. Any updates on the project or closures will be posted on the city's message board, Fletcher said.

Pflugerville ISD Director of Communications Amanda Brim said that while the improvements may cause temporary inconveniences for students and parents traveling to campuses in the area, the district believes the project will ultimately assist the district's growth.

"I think while there may be some short-term pain for the campuses with any construction, I think long-term it'll be a benefit in that area and [for] any future campuses that we may build," Brim said. "We know that's going to be an area of continued growth."

Bidding for the project is set for October, and estimates put the base cost at approximately $3.6 million. Construction is expected to be completed in December 2014.

"With the widening and rehabilita-tion ... we will have addressed, to one extent or another, the entire Kelly Lane corridor," Fletcher said.