Construction could begin next summer on the first set of sidewalks funded from the city’s 2012 transportation bond—at the same time staffers seek public input to prioritize projects to fund from the 2016 mobility bond.

In January, staffers will finalize a list of construction-ready projects, including sidewalks, on Burnet Road and North Lamar Boulevard to be built next summer using 2012 funds and advertise bids for a contractor, said Kevin Sweat, an engineer with the city’s public works department.

“Staff, along with the input we’ve received from the community, [determined] that the missing sidewalk gaps are the most dire safety need currently,” he said.

The city hosted open house events Dec. 7-8 to also gather input from residents on which projects would be funded next from the $720 million bond voters approved in November. That bond allocated $482 million to projects on eight corridors, including Burnet and North Lamar.

Dollars and cents

In 2010, Austin voters approved a $90 million bond that allocated money for corridor studies on Burnet between Koenig Lane and MoPac and on North Lamar between US 183 and I-35. Those studies were complete in December 2013. By then, voters had approved another transportation bond in 2012, allocating $15 million to spend on projects identified in the two corridor studies.

That amount is small compared with the more than $150 million worth of improvements city staffers claim is needed on the two roadways. A consultant hired by the city will determine how much money from the 2016 bond will also help fund the corridor needs.

“It’s the next step and a big step in that direction,” Sweat said. “What we’re doing is setting the table for these corridors to be upgraded not only through city capital improvement projects but also through development happening along the corridors.”

The city will also attempt to leverage grant dollars and private development to fund other transportation needs, he said. As projects are added along the two roadways, Sweat said developers could add missing sidewalks.

Other agencies, including Capital Metro and the Texas Department of Transportation, are also chipping in. In December, Capital Metro built new sidewalks on the southbound side of Burnet south of Braker Lane. A TxDOT grant will help add sidewalks on North Lamar between US 183 and Braker as well as pedestrian hybrid beacons, which allow pedestrians to press a button on the beacon to activate a signal to cross the street.

Additional sidewalk money is in the pipeline from the city’s Quarter Cent Fund that is to be used for safe routes to school and transit. Council members Greg Casar and Leslie Pool allocated funding from their districts’ pools of funds for sidewalks and pedestrian beacons on North Lamar and Burnet.

But the city has paused on building any other corridor improvements until a consulting firm identifies next steps.



“We need to be very careful about not spending money from the 2012 bond that might get torn up when the 2016 larger project comes through,” Sweat said.

Annie Van Zant, capital program manager for the public works department, said the consultant will take about a year to review existing public input and city master plans and have final recommendations in spring 2018.

The consultant would next begin developing a corridor construction program and determine how to allocate funding among the seven completed corridor plans as well as a new corridor study and projects in South Austin.

“We’ll be well-positioned to be able to put stuff on the ground when they do make those recommendations,” Sweat said.

Corridor vision

Missing sidewalks, a lack of medians and numerous business driveways are a few of the issues identified on Burnet and North Lamar.

In the long term, the city aims to turn Burnet and North Lamar into streets accessible to all users, including pedestrians and bicyclists, as envisioned in Austin’s comprehensive plan, Imagine Austin. This would be achieved by transforming the two corridors into what the city calls complete streets.

Projects would include raised medians, bike facilities, wider sidewalks and, in some places, dedicated transit lanes for buses. Just how much of the two roadways will soon be turned into complete streets depends on the city’s corridor consultant recommendations.

“Not every street is appropriate for all modes,” Sweat said. “There are a lot of places where we have space constraints and we have to prioritize, and that’s where we use the [sidewalk and bicycle] master plans to help inform.”

Prioritizing projects

Besides building new sidewalks, the city is also considering adding raised medians and locations for pedestrian beacons and improved crosswalks.

North Austin resident Hannah Frankel said she would like to see traffic improvements that make the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. She said she hopes the corridor plans will develop with more than drivers in mind.

“I think that, like a lot of Austinites, I love spending as much time outside of my car as possible,” Frankel said.

Lisa Hinely, who lives near North Lamar and represents North Austin on the city’s Community Development Commission, said the city should emphasize safety when deciding which improvements to make. Enabling pedestrians to safely cross roads would be preferable to building new sidewalks, at least in the near term, Hinely said.

“I would push crossings higher,” she said of her top priorities.



Heavy traffic also presents safety concerns for businesses in shopping centers near the intersection of North Lamar and Rundberg Lane.

Carolina Perez, who manages a Liberty Tax Service office near the intersection, said although traffic has not significantly impacted her business, pedestrian safety is an issue because drivers regularly use shopping center parking lots as shortcuts to avoid the busy intersection. Perez said traffic in the area generally hits a peak during midday and in the early evening.

“When you come in [the morning], it’s not a big problem, but once you get off work, that’s when the traffic begins,” Perez said.

On Burnet, North Austin residents said the corridor needs better bike facilities. Steven Zettner commutes from Allandale to North Austin for work and prefers biking on side streets instead of Burnet.

“It’s safer and more pleasant,” he said.

Zettner said he might consider using Burnet for shorter trips if it had protected bike lanes.

North Austin resident Matthew Novacek said he would like to see better bike facilities but is glad the city is planning more sidewalks and pedestrian beacons.

“It enhances the safety and accessibility [of Burnet] and encourages people to use transit,” Novacek said.

Additional reporting by Evan Marczynski