Residents provided their feedback on the Oak Hill Parkway environmental study at meetings in August and September about proposed plans to bring traffic relief to the intersection of Hwy. 71 and Hwy. 290, also known as the Y at Oak Hill.

A project team is refining two concepts and a no-build option. An environmental decision on the proposed roadwork is anticipated by the end of 2016, said Rick L’Amie, manager of communications with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, which is conducting the study.

“This project is far from complete, so there will be [more] opportunities for public input,” L’Amie said.

Attendees at a water-quality workshop Aug. 25 heard a presentation by Wade Strong, the parkway’s project manager with the Austin-based consulting firm Rodriguez Transportation Group Inc.

“Williamson Creek presents a huge challenge for this project,” he said.

Residents at the workshop said they want plans to minimize impacts to the creek, which floods frequently along Hwy. 290, he said.

As part of proposed changes, bridges would be reconstructed, including those at Old Bee Caves Road and William Cannon Drive at Hwy. 290, Strong said.

Ann Blaiss, a Southwest Austin resident and Realtor, said she is interested in the project and concerned about how it may affect property values and families in the area. 

“[The area] is really changing a lot, and there is going to be new development built. … We’ve got to do something with the Y [at Oak Hill to improve the traffic],” she said.

Southwest Austin resident Gerry Powell said the Mobility Authority held a meeting Sept. 9 about plans to redesign the west end of the project. Powell said he and an adjacent landowner oppose the potential changes and the concept of moving a proposed overpass over Hwy. 290 from Circle Drive to Thunderbird Road.

“We want [the Texas Department of Transportation] to move the overpass back to Circle Drive so the design can be compressed, and we would have a chance to reduce their footprint on our property,” he said.

Current designs take over about half an acre of his property, he said.

Some residents oppose the proposed plans overall, saying work may have consequences for oak trees and the creek. Local coalition Save Oak Hill recently launched a fundraising campaign with a goal of hiring a firm to develop an alternate design.

The next open house for the study is slated for Oct. 29 from 4:30-7 p.m. at Covington Middle School, 3700 Convict Hill Road.

More details are available online at www.oakhillparkway.com.