Following recent traffic accidents on West Hwy. 71, some Spicewood neighbors say they have witnessed enough tragedy on their roads and are asking for help. On its website, the Save Our Spicewood organization states it was formed “to protect the Hill Country quality of life in Spicewood,” an unincorporated area that spans Blanco, Burnet and Travis counties. The group has posted a petition requesting the Texas Department of Transportation, the owner of the roadway, provide improvements on West Hwy. 71 from Pace Bend Road to the intersection of West Hwy. 71 and Hwy. 281. During the past year, there have been numerous vehicular incidents on and around that stretch of West Hwy. 71—a four-lane road with no turn lane—as well as its surrounding area, including a Nov. 28 accident that killed a Lake Travis High School student and his mother. Specifically, SOS is requesting that TxDOT:

• provide a left-turn lane from FM 2322, or Pace Bend Road, to the intersection of highways 281 and 71; or, in the interim, turn one of the four lanes on Hwy. 71 into a left-turn lane that could be alternated every few miles;
• add a protected left turn at the intersection of Hwy. 71 and FM 2322;
• create lighted warning signs and a lowered speed limit on S-curves half a mile west of Fall Creek Road where the speed limit is currently 70 miles per hour or install a physical barrier between lanes on this section;
• create a lighted warning sign for the new stoplight at West Cypress Hills;
• create lighted warning signs at the Bee Creek Road stoplight; and
• add grooved pavement in the middle and on the sides of the road.

The group cites massive growth in the area and the lack of an expansion of its roadways as exacerbating the highway’s "already dangerous condition,” especially when turning left into neighborhoods and businesses along the road. “The increased traffic from that growth has also increased the danger and number of wrecks on Hwy. 71,” the petition states. “While many turn lanes, stoplights and other road improvements have been made, there is still much that needs to be done to stop the constant string of automobile accidents.” Petition proponents are requesting that TxDOT “pay more attention to this area, making the above necessary improvements, to avoid more deaths and destruction.” “Safety is our top priority at TxDOT, and we take this very seriously,” TxDOT Public Information Officer Kelli Reyna said. TxDOT currently has a project underway that will add a flashing beacon at the intersection of West Hwy. 71 and CR 401, before the Hwy. 281 intersection, she said. Additionally, the department completed two projects—adding a left-turn lane and shoulders to the roadway between east of Bee Creek Road to just west of Hamilton Pool Road as well as repaving the roadway from RR 620 to Hamilton Pool Road—this year, she said. Future projects in the Spicewood section of West Hwy. 71 include adding a flashing beacon and safety lighting at Fall Creek Road that will be let out to bid in late 2018 and repaving the road from the Pedernales River to Blanco County, a project that is not set to begin until early 2027, Reyna said. “We will continue to review all crashes that occur on our state highway system in order to better understand the reason for the incident and to see how we can work to prevent incidents from occurring in the future,” she said. Save Our Spicewood representative Linda Wall could not be reached for comment.