In mid-May, the Texas Department of Transportation began the fifth and final phase of its $15.9 million, multi-year Hwy. 71 road-widening project, which is still on track for a summer completion despite late May rainfall.

Workers are repaving and restriping Hwy. 71 from Southwest Parkway to Scenic Brook Drive. TxDOT anticipates the paving to be complete in the summer, placing the time from the request for construction contractors in late 2013 to completion at roughly 2 3/4 years.

In late May, the Greater Austin area experienced rainfall that affected outdoor construction work, including the Hwy. 71 project’s repaving phase.

“While the rain did affect the ability to place the final surface mix on the roadway, we are still on track to finish this project this summer as previously planned,” TxDOT spokesperson Kelli Reyna said.

Hank Amor, co-owner of Oak Hill Automotive on Hwy. 71 just south of Thomas Springs Road, said he thought the project was going to be delayed after the various bouts of rain around the 2015 and 2016 Memorial Day holidays and Halloween in 2015, but he lauded TxDOT and construction contractor Joe Bland Construction for keeping the project on schedule.

The multi-phased project enhances safety and addresses congestion, Reyna said.

The project included expanding the center turn lane where driveways are present, widening shoulders throughout the project area and adding a traffic signal at Southwest Parkway. The shoulders provide a space for right-turning vehicles as well as a place for vehicles to recover, and the center-turn lane provides a safe location for motorists turning left, Reyna said.

TxDOT previously completed phases 1-4 from summer 2014 to spring 2016, finishing work such as the Southwest Parkway traffic signal and the center-turn lane expansion between Scenic Brook Drive and Thomas Springs Road.

“I believe [the center turn lane] was more than needed, and it was past due,” Amor said. “I’m glad TxDOT saw it fit to get it done.”

Amor said nearby neighborhood groups have previously petitioned TxDOT as far back as 2003 to add the center turn lane because there had been traffic fatalities, crashes and collisions along the road, including at the intersection with Thomas Springs Road.

“There was really no safe place to get out of the way because you have traffic just flying through here well in excess of the 55 miles-per-hour speed limit,” Amor said. “I don’t know what the total loss of lives was, but I do know that hopefully this will prevent any more losses in the area because there is a lot of neighborhood traffic and business traffic there.”

Within the Hwy. 71 project area, the speed limit decreased to 45 mph for the duration of the construction.

From a business perspective, Amor said he was was glad that TxDOT added a center turn lane so that northbound Hwy. 71 motorists can safely turn left into the automotive shop on the west side of the road.

But during construction, materials and equipment blocked Oak Hill Automotive from the view of Hwy. 71 motorists, making it difficult for new customers to find the shop, he said.

“Because we were sort of at the center of the project, the contractors chose our location as the staging area, which was not that pleasant for us, but we survived,” Amor said.