Riverside Grove residents spoke against a Jessica Place connection to the Blakey Lane extension during September council meetings. (Amanda Cutshall/Community Impact)
The plan has drawn opposition from Riverside Grove residents over opening a subdivision street called Jessica Place to through traffic; however, officials said more input will be considered during design.
Jessica Place runs through the Riverside Grove subdivision, where residents have opposed opening the street to through traffic as part of the larger Blakey Lane extension project. (Amanda Cutshall/Community Impact)Amanda Cutshall/Community Impact
The update
City Council voted 4-1 on Sept. 1 to advance the engineer's preferred concept; by the Sept. 8 council meeting, resident Judah Ross said nearly 150 signatures had been collected against it.
Other residents spoke in opposition; however, because the item was not on the Sept. 8 agenda, the council could not respond or take further action on the issue.
The plan
According to the Sept. 1 presentation, the preferred concept extends Blakey Lane by way of a new roadway called Reed Way that will run south beside Bastrop Middle School before taking a 90-degree turn east toward Old Austin Highway.
In addition to the Jessica Place connection, the design includes:
New SH 71 frontage-road acceleration and deceleration lanes
A raised concrete median intended to prevent drivers from cutting directly onto the SH 71 entrance ramp
A single-lane roundabout near The Texas Boot Company
A redesigned 90-degree curve near Club Car Wash with a 15 mph design speed
Reconfigured access for Club Car Wash and The Texas Boot Company
The view from the planned Jessica Place connection looks northwest, where a new roadway called Reed Way would extend from Burleson Crossing East. Amanda Cutshall/Community ImpactAmanda Cutshall/Community Impact
Zooming in
Officials with The Goodman Corp., the city’s transportation consultant, said opening Jessica Place to Reed Way would allow through traffic to continue east on the existing Jessica Place roadway to Schaefer Boulevard and south to Old Austin Highway.
The company's traffic analysis found the extension could still work without the Jessica Place connection, although opening Jessica Place would improve projected traffic flow—especially near Bastrop Middle School.
The Blakey Lane design concept extends Reed Way south, just west of Bastrop Middle School, before turning east toward Old Austin Highway. (Amanda Cutshall/Community Impact)Amanda Cutshall/Community Impact
During the Sept. 1 meeting, officials discussed potential Riverside Grove safety improvements, including:
Sidewalks
Crosswalks
Flashing school-zone signs
Crossing islands for pedestrians
Speed humps
Barricades mark the end of Jessica Place, where Bastrop’s preferred Blakey Lane concept would connect the neighborhood street to future Reed Way. (Amanda Cutshall/Community Impact)Amanda Cutshall/Community Impact
What they're saying
Place 2 council member Cynthia Meyer cast the dissenting vote, questioning whether the proposed improvements could change residents’ opposition.
“If we did all of that—everything that we could do to make it as safe as possible—I want to know if the residents can come to a better understanding and agreement on that, or are [they] opposed no matter what?” Meyer said.
After the vote, City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino said residents would have additional opportunities for input during design and bidding.
“You have several more shots at the apple,” she said. “So I don’t want you to believe today that we’re just telling you to go away.”
What's next
The city’s Sept. 1 presentation lists the next steps as redesigning the roadway based on the preferred concept, followed by 60%, 90% and final design before seeking construction bids.
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