This will be one of the first roadways to have city-owned lighting, as Oncor Electric owns the vast majority of street lights within the city of Round Rock.
While the city is taking steps to assume ownership of more than 5,000 individual street lights, Gary Hudder said the city is being proactive in adding this piece to the project.
"We're in the process of changing how we have street lights throughout the city," said Gary Hudder, Round Rock transportation department director, at an April 11 packet briefing. "When this project was designed, we were still under the old process of letting Oncor handle that for the contractors directly."
Previously, Hudder said the move to take ownership of street lighting could save the city money on maintenance and result in faster response to calls for maintenance.
As with several other projects underway, supply chain issues have delayed the project slightly, pushing the expected opening to late summer or early fall, Hudder said. He also said the addition of street lighting does not significantly impact the timeline of completion for this project.
The roadway extension will eliminate a gap in the city's transportation network between Gattis School Road and SH 45 N, enhancing mobility, Hudder said. It is part of a larger street that is planned to connect drivers from SH 45 N to University Boulevard.
While the city is taking steps to assume ownership of more than 5,000 individual street lights, Hudder said council is being proactive in considering whether to add this piece to the project.
At the April 13 meeting, City officials approved $507,755.33 in additional project costs that include the street lighting, irrigation system repairs and installation of a sound wall.
This change order brings the total cost to $25.98 million, or $2 million more than the original contract price.
