Regional Transportation Updates

Airports


1. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
In July, the airport completed construction on an expansion of the upper level that connects the terminal and the airport’s east wing. The expansion added two new luggage carousels. In October the airport opened a new rental car facility. New nonstop flights added in 2015 connect travelers to Toronto, Miami, Portland, St. Louis, Orlando and Memphis. Projects in 2016 include a nine-gate terminal expansion and new parking.


2. San Marcos Regional Airport
Marketing and Administration Director Cassidy Berenato said the airport’s 2015 rebuilding of Runway 13/31 experienced delays because of flooding. In March the work should be finished. Two more projects could begin in 2016—installing a parking lot as well as a safety fence and new access gates along Airport Drive. In 2014 the city of San Marcos appropriated $100,000 for the new parking lot, and the Texas Department of Transportation appropriated $350,000 for the fence and gates.








Roads


1. Loop 360
Texas Department of Transportation is considering extending a mobility study of the roadway between MoPac in North Austin and Hwy. 290 in South Austin. In October, TxDOT closed a community survey that asked residents to rank the problems and proposed solutions to traffic congestion. Respondents identified decreased congestion and more reliable travel times as top priorities. TxDOT will release a draft report in the spring for additional public input.


Timeline: late 2014-mid-2016
Cost: $1.27 million


2. Oak Hill Parkway
TxDOT and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority are conducting an environmental study on traffic solutions for the Hwy. 71 and Hwy. 290 intersection. The project team is refining two concepts and a no-build option and plans to hold a workshop in early 2016.


Timeline: 2012-2017
Cost: TBD


3. Goforth Road improvements
The city of Kyle is in the process of adjusting utilities to allow for the reconstruction of the portion of Goforth Road from I-35 to Bunton Creek Road. The road will include three lanes in some areas and four lanes in others. The city expects to award the contract for construction in March.


Timeline: March 2016-March 2017
Cost: $9.8 million


4. Aquarena Springs Drive overpass
Construction began on the project in May. The project spans from near Charles Austin Drive to Thorpe Lane in San Marcos. Temporary lane closures have begun in certain parts of the project area. The remaining work includes adding sidewalks, paving, and widening the streets to accommodate the planned four-lane overpass and two-lane access roads in each direction.


Timeline: May 2015-late 2017
Cost: $20.7 million


5. Hwy. 123 overpass
TxDOT is constructing an overpass on Hwy. 123 in San Marcos that will include frontage roads and will span Wonder World Drive. Traffic on the north and south ends of the project area is restricted to one lane while construction of the Hwy. 123 frontage roads is underway. That phase should be complete by early spring, depending on weather delays. Traffic will be switched onto the frontage roads to make room for construction of the overpass at that point.


Timeline: March 2015-mid-2017
Cost:
$11.6 million


6. Dacy Lane improvements
The portion of Dacy Lane from Suffield Drive to Hillside Terrace, which currently consists of two lanes without shoulders, will be rebuilt to two lanes in each direction as well as a center turn lane and shoulders wherever feasible, according to county documents. The improvements are being planned as a result of Hays CISD’s plans to open a new middle school near the intersection of Dacy and Hillside Terrace in the fall.


Cost: N/A
Timeline: N/A








I-35


The following projects in TxDOT’s Mobility 35 program will be funded in fiscal years 2014-15 and 2015-16 through the state’s Proposition 1, which voters approved in November 2014.


1. Slaughter Creek overpass
The existing Slaughter Creek overpass will be replaced with a new bridge, and a U-turn bridge will be added. The project will also widen the southbound frontage road to two lanes near the overpass and install safety lighting from Slaughter Lane to Onion Creek Parkway. 


Timeline: spring 2016-summer 2017
Cost: $9.2 million


2. RM 150 to Blanco River
One new off-ramp will be added, and five existing on- and off-ramps will be modified between RM 150 and the Blanco River to improve safety and access. On Jan. 11, TxDOT announced it had awarded the contract for construction to Angel Brothers Corp.


Timeline: spring 2016-summer 2017
Cost: $9 million


3. Stassney Lane to William Cannon Drive
The bridges at Stassney and William Cannon and the frontage road bridge over Williamson Creek will be reconstructed. U-turns will also be added at Stassney and William Cannon, and the main I-35 lanes will be widened to incorporate shoulders and extended entrance and exit lanes.


Timeline: spring 2016-winter 2019-20
Cost: $79 million








Toll roads


The Mobility Authority and TxDOT are proposing or building several tolled projects throughout the region.


1. MoPac South
This project will create two express lanes in each direction from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane. TxDOT and the Mobility Authority are currently performing an environmental study for the project and anticipate results in late 2016.


Timeline: TBD
Cost: $480 million-$540 million


2. MoPac North
This project is under construction and includes widening the existing roadway to add one express lane in each direction from Parmer Lane to Cesar Chavez. The project includes two grade-separated connections from the express lanes to Cesar Chavez.


Timeline: October 2013-late 2016
Cost: $204 million


3. SH 71
The project is under construction and consists of the addition of one tolled lane in each direction with an overpass at FM 973. The project extends about 4 miles from Presidential Boulevard to SH 130.


Timeline: early 2015-June 2016
Cost: $140 million


4. SH 45 SW
This project will extend from Loop 1 to FM 1626, consists of four main lanes and includes an at-grade intersection at FM 1626, an overpass at Bliss Spillar Road and a grade-separated interchange at Loop 1. The project will be funded by Hays and Travis counties as well as the Mobility Authority and a grant from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. Hays County’s portion of the project will be $5 million.


Timeline: tentative April 2016 letting
Cost: $109 million