West Lake Hills City Council voted to jointly send a letter of conditional support for the
Mopac South Environmental Assessment with
Rollingwood on
April 22.
The letter will be sent to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority with a list of conditions required in order for the project to be supported by the two cities, including funding a diverging diamond intersection off MoPac and Bee Cave Road, implementing traffic noise barriers on the Rollingwood side of the highway and maintaining lane elevation at the designated height.
The details
According to West Lake Hills Mayor James Vaughan, the diverging diamond intersection will reduce peak-hour delays by 48%-58%, with eastbound delays reduced by 33%-50%, westbound delays reduced by 57%-83% and northbound delays reduced by 75%.
Currently, the MoPac South project lists the intersection as “pending funding coordination with local municipalities," yet in order for West Lake Hills and Rollingwood to support the assessment, the diverging diamond must be fully funded.
“There will not be funding for a $10 million intersection from the city of West Lake Hills,” Vaughan said.
Traffic noise barriers must also extend to the Rollingwood side of the highway, as they currently extend farther on the Zilker side, Vaughan said.
The last requirement of conditional support is to maintain lane elevation at the previously designated height.
“This is a pretty controversial issue in the county,” Vaughan said.
What’s next
Once feedback is reviewed for project adjustments, the final environmental assessment document will be submitted to the Texas Department of Transportation. If no significant impact is found, the Mobility Authority can then vote to move into the next phase of funding, design and construction.
Community members can comment on the draft environmental assessment through May 3.
