Updated 5/9 at 4:20 p.m. to correct costs on the project. The estimated cost for Phases 1A and 1B is about $6.5 million. The east end of construction—rehabilitating on the road from Moorlynch Avenue to Weiss Lane—is estimated to cost $350,000. Graphic has also been updated to clarify work on Colorado Sand Drive.

This summer will mark the beginning of improvements to Kelly Lane meant to increase the safety and longevity of the road and, in some parts, relieve congestion.

The first phase of the project will begin on the east end of Kelly Lane from Weiss Lane to Moorlynch Avenue, Pflugerville Assistant City Manager Trey Fletcher said.

He said the construction was timed to coincide with when school is out of session.

The second phase of the project—widening Kelly Lane between Murchison Ridge and Falcon Pointe Boulevard—will likely begin spring 2013, Fletcher said. The second phase is scheduled to take about a year.

Some sections of the road, primarily the west side, will also get updated drainage systems. Additionally, a middle section of Kelly Lane, from Falcon Pointe Boulevard to Moorlynch Avenue, will also be improved in conjunction with the west end project.

Ultimately, Fletcher said, all of the Kelly Lane corridor will be widened or improved by early to mid-2014.

The estimated cost for Phases 1A and 1B is about $6.5 million. The east end of construction—rehabilitating on the road from Moorlynch Avenue to Weiss Lane—is estimated to cost $350,000.

"In the short term, this will be challenging," Fletcher said. "But in the long term, it'll fix several issues, including roadway safety, appearance and drivability."

The city plans to have at least one lane open throughout the duration of the entire Kelly Lane project, Fletcher said, which will create some temporary congestion.

"We suspect construction on the far east part of Kelly Lane will affect fewer Pflugerville residents than the construction on the west portion of the road closer to Toll 130, where residents have no other roadway options," Pflugerville Mayor Jeff Coleman said. "So we're trying not to start the west part of this process until we've completed additional connections to Pflugerville Parkway for residents to use."

The construction of Colorado Sand Drive and Lone Star Ranch Boulevard are on schedule to begin construction in fall 2012, with an estimated completion of summer 2013, said Rainer Ficken, senior project manager for Newland Communities, which is partnering with the city to build the roadways.

The improvements are estimated to cost $5.8 million paid through the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, Ficken said. The TIRZ collects a portion of property taxes in the surrounding area and uses that money to finance improvement projects within the zone.

Colorado Sand Drive will ultimately serve as a north-south connector from Kelly Lane to Pflugerville Parkway. Lone Star Ranch Boulevard will connect Falcon Pointe Boulevard and Colorado Sand Drive, and could serve as an alternate route from Kelly Lane to Pflugerville Parkway.

The section of Pflugerville Parkway between Toll 130 to FM 685, under construction now, is on schedule for a fall 2012 completion, Fletcher said.

Detours for the Kelly Lane are still being determined, but Fletcher said he suspects Becker Farm Road, which also connects to Pflugerville Parkway, could relieve some congestion for those traveling on Kelly Lane.

"Detours will be well publicized closer to these road improvement events," Fletcher said. "We will do our part to make sure the public is informed of what to anticipate."