Less traffic, fewer accidents and more mobility options are a few of the objectives the city of Round Rock and the Texas Department of Transportation hope to achieve with Round Rock’s Transportation Master Plan and TxDOT’s ongoing Mobility35 plan, both strategic efforts to improve current traffic flow and prepare for future growth.

The Round Rock Transportation Department has built innovative solutions into its new TMP to address  traffic and safety concerns, and it has also taken a fresh look at the document itself, giving it flexibility and the ability to grow with the city.

Transportation Director Gary Hudder said the new TMP is a living document that can adapt to the changing needs of Round Rock, and the city sought community feedback on the plan when officials presented it to the public through a series of neighborhood meetings in September. The TMP, which received its first revision this year since its creation in 1999, is a multifaceted plan that works in conjunction with planned TxDOT projects to improve roads and transportation throughout the city, and will include citizen feedback.

Highways

In 2014, the Texas Transportation Institute studied the 2035 long-range transportation plan put forth by the Capital Area Metro Planning Organization to improve major Austin-area highways. What TTI found, even with CAMPO’s planned improvements, was a commute between Round Rock and Austin by 2035 could take up to three hours to complete. Only 18 miles separate Round Rock City Hall from the Texas State Capitol.

To help improve efficiency along I-35, TxDOT will change entrance and exit ramps between Hwy. 79 and FM 620 on both north- and southbound frontage roads into braided ramps, which consist of two dedicated lanes—one as an entrance to the interstate and one as an exit from the interstate—with one lane elevated and crossing over the other. The dedicated lanes allow cars to enter and exit I-35 independently, eliminating the conflict that currently occurs as vehicles attempt to enter and exit I-35 using the same lane.

Construction is underway along the frontage roads in preparation for the  ramps.

In TxDOT’s effort to speed traffic flow safely along the I-35 corridor, the department opened the area’s first diverging-diamond interchange at I-35 and University Boulevard in Round Rock a year ago, which has reduced collision risk at the intersection and virtually eliminated backups along University Boulevard, according to Hudder.

“All projects that we perform improve safety and mobility,” TxDOT spokesperson Kelli Reyna said. “That’s the ultimate reason for us to perform work on the roadways.”

SH 45 N could also see changes as Round Rock City Council in November approved the commission of engineering services for the frontage road project. Although there is no set time for completion, the project could extend the eastbound access road at Meister Lane to connect with the existing access road at Heatherwilde Boulevard and extend the westbound frontage road at Heatherwilde Boulevard to the existing frontage road at Donnell Drive. Improvements to the frontage roads could help support future residential and commercial developments along SH 45 N.

City roads

The city of Round Rock recently completed the bulk of its downtown improvement plan, which widened Mays Street through the downtown area, extended a left-turn lane at the intersection  at Main Street and Mays Street to promote traffic flow and built a roundabout at Round Rock Avenue and West Liberty Avenue, but there is still work to be done.

McNeil Road near downtown Round Rock will soon extend eastward to further improve traffic flow and make Main Street more pedestrian-friendly.

McNeil will extend under the Mays bridge just south of the current underpass. Bagdad Avenue east of Mays will move to south of the railroad tracks and will ultimately connect to Burnet Street, allowing drivers to bypass the downtown area.

Round Rock also plans to pull traffic from some of its more heavily trafficked roads by increasing neighborhood connectivity. By joining neighborhoods through a series of residential roadways, drivers can move more easily from neighborhood to neighborhood without having to travel along major thoroughfares.

Pedestrian mobility

But not all mobility improvements involve cars and trucks—or even roadways. The TMP is also intended to make it easier for residents to move about the city by foot and by bicycle.

Hudder said Round Rock has been looking for a solution for bicycle and pedestrian mobility for some time, but the challenge was finding a solution that was the right fit for Round Rock.

The revised TMP calls for the city to expand its existing network of sidewalks in addition to adding multiuse paths to future road projects. The 10-foot-wide sidewalks are removed from the roadway allowing pedestrians and cyclists to share the path.

The paths will feature trees and landscaping that will not only beautify road projects but also create a buffer between vehicle and pedestrian traffic—thereby reducing the likelihood of them coming into contact with one another.

Public transportation

Capital Metro bus service will begin this spring in Round Rock as part of the Round Rock Transit Plan, an evolving plan created by the city that officials said will bring a variety of public transportation options to Round Rock as the city continues to grow.

The initial rollout of bus routes was designed to allow residents to commute by bus to downtown Austin and connect to other bus routes at the Capital Metro Tech Ridge station in North Austin. Residents will also be able to access area higher-education campuses and hospitals by using the bus service on the available routes.

Round Rock has also recently taken steps to find what future transportation options in Round Rock look like. Round Rock City Council approved a resolution in October requesting the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority look into possible uses for the MoKan corridor, a 28-mile stretch of abandoned rail line that runs east of I-35 from Georgetown to East Austin that was once considered for use in the now-defunct Lone Star Rail project.

Although city officials did not specify how they intend to utilize the former rail line, they did express their desire to preserve it and see what it offers for the future.