While the city last updated the plan in 2015, those projections are now outdated as the city has expanded rapidly.
“The growth in Kyle is unprecedented,” said John Dean, associate vice president at CP&Y Inc., during a City Council meeting on July 6. “Your last plan was done in 2015, so it's been six years since then, and the growth that you've had has exceeded those expectations anticipated in that plan.”
The city approved a new map for the plan presented by CP&Y Inc., the consulting company contracted to help with the plan update, during the July 6 meeting.
“We asked [CP&Y Inc.] to speed up on the map, at least to get that ready for us quickly,” Kyle City Engineer Leon Barba said. “We need to make sure that if we have to have a four-lane road, we need to make sure we get the right of way and get it preserved.”
Updating the plan around every five years is standard practice to ensure it keeps pace with change in the city, Barba added.
The plan outlines two additional I-35 crossings, which would help to create greater connectivity. One would be at Kohlers Crossing and the other near RM 158, which are shown in purple in the map below. The three existing crossings are shown in green.
Creating a transportation system that works better for the Kyle community presents some challenges. As a constantly evolving city, it is difficult for planners to find parts of town that are not already a part of another project, Dean said.
“Every time we drew roads or drew the line somewhere to consider a road there, well, that's planned to be this, and this is planned to be that,” Dean said of the search to find roads that would improve mobility in Kyle.
Barba stressed the projects are not imminent but rather offer a look at how the city will approach its transportation needs.
“I know we keep saying this over and over, but right now it's just a line on the map. Those are just lines on a map,” Barba said.
