Pflugerville started construction on its first project funded by the city’s 2014 transportation bond when Heatherwilde Boulevard entered the construction phase Feb. 8.
The $6.7 million project will widen Heatherwilde just south of SH 45 to Wilke Ridge Lane from two lanes to a four-lane, divided roadway. The end result will include raised medians, drainage improvements, pedestrian facilities, turn lanes and a traffic signal at Kingston Lacy Boulevard.
In November 2015 voters approved $9.5 million in bond funds—in addition to the $3.77 million from a 2014 bond package—to transform Weiss Lane. The project will result in a four-lane roadway just north of the bridge near its intersection with Pecan Street to Kelly Lane and adjacent to the future high school.
Assistant City Manager Tom Word said the Weiss improvements are still in the design phase, and plans are 30 percent complete. City officials are expected to review a preliminary engineering report soon.
Pflugerville Mayor Jeff Coleman said the transportation projects underway will be a huge improvement for the citizens of Pflugerville.
“The citizens made the right decision, in my mind, to invest in our infrastructure around the city,” Coleman said.
According to Word, there are seven city transportation projects in the design phase and three under construction. He said some projects are closer to moving toward the construction phase than others.
Word said most major delays occur when extensive land negotiations are necessary, which is common.
“It’s difficult to project how long it will take, but we hope to have all the 2014 bond projects started in under a year from now,” Word said.
Pflugerville resident Jim McDonald said he is looking forward to the expanded arterial roads in the city.
“In terms of a corridor—getting people from one end to the other without having to go to a major thoroughfare that’s backed up—[the improvements are] hugely beneficial,” McDonald said. “Any time you increase the mobility, then it’s easier for me to go to the grocery store, movies, et cetera.”
School officials said they are also optimistic about what the improvements will mean for the district when the work on Weiss is complete and the new high school opens.
“The impact is basically to help the traffic flow, and to get marked turn lanes so the traffic doesn’t stop,” said Gary Schulte, coordinator of facilities and construction for Pflugerville ISD. “It will help residents. [...] And will be a great safety improvement.”
Aside from road expansion projects, city officials are also looking at maintaining roads through a pavement-management program. According to officials, the city currently budgets $400,000 toward road maintenance each year; however, future road maintenance would require an annual projected budget of $1.4 million.
“I think it’s very natural that any government entity does not have all the money it wishes it would have,” Coleman said. “That’s the reason citizens elect representatives to make the hard decisions to figure out the priorities and do what needs to be done.”
