The updated intersection at Hwy. 290 and William Cannon Drive will open Sept. 9 in time for 5 a.m. rush-hour traffic, said Kelli Reyna, Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson.
“We still have some final paving that we have to do, and that will take place next week,” she said, adding there will be lane closures next week as a result.
The project was
on hold this summer because of water line issues. The $6.5 million changes in partnership with the city of Austin and Travis County included constructing two continuous-flow intersections, or CFIs, along Hwy. 290 at the Hwy. 71 and William Cannon Drive intersections. CFIs allow left-turning traffic and through-traffic to move simultaneously, according to TxDOT.
The intersection of William Cannon Drive and Hwy. 290 is slated to open Sept. 9.[/caption]
“Continuous-flow intersections serve as relatively low cost improvements that will bring some much-needed traffic relief to the area,” Austin District Engineer Greg Malatek said in a Sept. 8 news release. “These new intersections will help motorists travel though Oak Hill more efficiently by improving left-turn movements and allowing more vehicles to travel through the intersection in a single traffic light cycle.”
Every small improvement helps the region’s transportation system as a whole, said Rob Spillar, city of Austin Transportation Department director, in the release.
“The city of Austin contributed $4 million to this project because we saw a need for our Southwest [Austin] residents, and it is gratifying to see this project come to fruition,” Spillar said in a statement.
TxDOT said the Hwy. 290 intersection improvements will provide an interim solution to congestion while the Oak Hill Parkway environmental study to find a long-term solution for the area is underway. More information, including steps on how to drive through a CFI, is available at
https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/austin/us290-intersections.html.
The intersection of William Cannon Drive and Hwy. 290 is slated to open Sept. 9.[/caption]
“Continuous-flow intersections serve as relatively low cost improvements that will bring some much-needed traffic relief to the area,” Austin District Engineer Greg Malatek said in a Sept. 8 news release. “These new intersections will help motorists travel though Oak Hill more efficiently by improving left-turn movements and allowing more vehicles to travel through the intersection in a single traffic light cycle.”
Every small improvement helps the region’s transportation system as a whole, said Rob Spillar, city of Austin Transportation Department director, in the release.
“The city of Austin contributed $4 million to this project because we saw a need for our Southwest [Austin] residents, and it is gratifying to see this project come to fruition,” Spillar said in a statement.
TxDOT said the Hwy. 290 intersection improvements will provide an interim solution to congestion while the Oak Hill Parkway environmental study to find a long-term solution for the area is underway. More information, including steps on how to drive through a CFI, is available at https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/austin/us290-intersections.html.
