On Aug. 18, the Kyle City Council approved an almost $500,000 reevaluation of 12 intersections where roundabouts were recommended, according to previous Community Impact reporting. The results of intersection analyses at six priority locations were presented on Oct. 20.
What happened
Rodriguez Transportation Group, Inc. analyzed the operational and safety aspects at six Kyle intersections and recommended the best road remedy for each.
The company collected turning movement counts at each intersection while local schools were in session, according to agenda documents.
Additionally, growth rates were applied to existing traffic data, crash data was collected and safety, capacity and fatal flaw analyses were conducted.
The six priority intersections included:
Center Street at Old Stagecoach Road
Kohlers Crossing at Sanders
Kohlers Crossing at Benner
Windy Hill Road at Cherrywood
Lehman Road at Bunton Creek Road
Goforth Road at Bunton Creek Road
Of the six intersections reevaluated, four were recommended for road remedies other than roundabouts and two were recommended to continue pursuing roundabouts.
The results
The council voted to move forward with roundabouts at the intersections of Center Street at Old Stagecoach Road and Goforth Road at Bunton Creek Road.
Council members also voted to switch the plans for the intersections of Windy Hill Road at Cherrywood and Lehman Road at Bunton Creek Road to what Rodriguez Transportation Group recommended.
The Windy Hill Road at Cherrywood roundabout was under construction when the city requested the reevaluation.
The switch to a continuous Green-T design will delay the project and cost the city an additional $500,000, said Lu Zhang, assistant director of the capital improvement program and planning. City staff will attempt to reduce costs during the construction.
Engineers had previously drawn a high-level schematic for the Lehman Road at Bunton Creek Road intersection. Additional equipment, design and construction inflation costs associated with the switch to a traditional traffic signal will add $1.5 million to $2.5 million in total costs, Zhang said.
“It’s unfortunate we didn’t have this information 3 years ago,” said City Engineer Leon Barba. “I think we could have saved millions of dollars.”
Also of note
Roundabouts at both the Kohlers Crossing at Sanders and Kohlers Crossing at Benner intersections are currently at 100% design completion, Zhang said. If the council pursued traditional traffic signals, the city would save $1.2 million.
The switch would include additional costs for new designs. The council voted to table decisions on both Kohlers Crossing intersections until the District 3 council seat, currently held by Claudia Zapata, is filled.
Zapata submitted her official resignation from office on Sept. 25, according to previous Community Impact reporting. The council called a Dec. 12 election to fill her seat.
If the election results in a runoff, the new council member will not be qualified to serve until January 2027 at the earliest.
