TxDOT to host open house for public input on Hwy. 290 safety and mobility

The Texas Department of Transportation has opened a feasibility study of Hwy. 290 between Oak Hill and Dripping Springs.

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By Olivia Aldridge | 4:06 PM Oct 3, 2019 CDT

On Thursday, Oct. 10, the Texas Department of Transportation will host an open house at Oak Hill United Methodist Church related to a feasibility study launched by the agency to consider conditions on Hwy. 290 between Oak Hill and Dripping Springs. According to TxDOT, the open house is intended to gather "input from the community regarding safety and mobility needs" along the corridor.

At the conclusion of the study, which TxDOT anticipates will last one year, the agency plans to initiate an environmental study and begin drawing up schematic designs for a project aimed at addressing "long-term safety and mobility solutions" for the corridor and establishing "a recommended right-of-way footprint."

TxDOT has said it plans for the potential project along the corridor to connect to the Oak Hill Parkway project, a forthcoming construction initiative set to widen Hwy. 290 to increase mobility through the Y at Oak Hill.

Some residents along the corridor have pushed for safety reforms of the highway over the past year, including a community action group called the 290 Safety Coalition, which has petitioned for a reduced speed limit.

The open house is scheduled to run from 5-7 p.m. Individuals unable to attend the open house can provide feedback via an online survey.

By Olivia Aldridge

Olivia is the reporter for Community Impact's Southwest Austin edition. She graduated from Presbyterian College with a bachelor's degree in English and creative writing in 2017. Olivia was a reporter and producer at South Carolina Public Radio in Columbia, South Carolina before joining Community Impact in Austin.

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