Construction on East Crystal Falls Parkway between Leander Drive and US 183 is expected to commence in October, concluding more than five years of effort to reconstruct the busy east-west corridor in Leander.
City Engineer Wayne Watts said Aug. 23 the project will open to bids from contractors starting Sept. 5, with nine months of construction to start by October. The $1.9 million project calls for widening Crystal Falls Parkway as well as rebuilding curbs, drainage systems and adding dedicated turn lanes.
Watts said the city has collaborated with Capital Metro, who operates the railroad crossing, and the Texas Department of Transportation to get clearance for the project. Crystal Falls Parkway widening efforts started in 2008 and were done in phases as to not delay completion of the entire project, he said.
"We had to get through the bureaucratic process of signal design and the interface between the railroad crossing signal, the railroad quiet zone requirement and the traffic signals," Watts said. "There are huge public safety issues involved with all of that, so you have to be cautious about the design. A mistake can cost someone their life at that intersection."
