The city of Cedar Park can begin expanding East Whitestone Boulevard from four to six lanes between Market Street and Cottonwood Creek Trail after the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization approved $9.14 million for the project.



On Dec. 4, Mayor Matt Powell told Cedar Park City Council that construction on what the city calls the 1431 Gap Project could begin soon, but did not specify a date.



Engineers estimate the widening work will cost about $11.43 million.



Powell said that CAMPO's funding would leave about $2.28 million to be funded by other providers such as the city or the Texas Department of Transportation.



"We're in discussion with Williamson County about perhaps picking up half of that," Powell said. "TxDOT has agreed that they're going to be picking up the engineering fees. We will be able to get going on that project very soon, [spending] either $2.28 million or $1.14 million."



The 1431 Gap Project lies between existing improvements to Whitestone Boulevard.



The city is widening East Whitestone Boulevard between Market Street—which leads to the new Walmart store—and the intersection of Whitestone and Parmer Lane/Ronald Reagan Boulevard. The $22 million pass-through project also includes the rebuilding of the intersection into a partial continuous-flow intersection, which will switch left-turning drivers on Whitestone to left sides of the highway before they turn onto Ronald Reagan or Parmer.



The city and Williamson County are overseeing the pass-through project that is scheduled to finish in winter 2015, and TxDOT will reimburse 80 percent of actual construction costs.



TxDOT is also spending $4.85 million to add turn lanes at West Whitestone Boulevard's intersections with Bell and Discovery boulevards, as well as a center turn lane between Anderson Mill and Bagdad roads. The project is scheduled to finish in spring 2015.