Local Transportation Updates

1. Oak Hill Parkway study The Texas Department of Transportation and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority plan to hold a workshop in early 2016 regarding the project. A project team is refining two concepts as part of the ongoing Oak Hill Parkway environmental study on potential solutions to bring traffic relief to the intersection of Hwy. 71 and Hwy. 290. Timeline: environmental study expected to be complete in 2017 Cost: TBD Funding sources: TBD

2. Manchaca Road and Slaughter Lane updates At Slaughter Lane and Manchaca Road, the city of Austin Transportation Department will revise right-turn lanes, add raised medians on Manchaca north and south of the intersection, and add dual left-turn lanes in every direction. The department is designing the changes in conjunction with TxDOT. Timeline: October 2015-spring/summer 2016 (design), TBD (construction) Cost: $1.5 million Funding sources: city of Austin

[caption id="attachment_130063" align="alignright" width="177"] Slaughter creek overpass
Capital Excavation will replace the Slaughter Creek overpass, adding a southbound-to-northbound U-turn bridge and safety lighting in the area. The TxDOT bridge at I-35 will have three lanes, sidewalks and shoulders. Work includes widening the southbound frontage road to two lanes through the creek intersection.[/caption]

3. Slaughter creek overpass Capital Excavation will replace the Slaughter Creek overpass, adding a southbound-to-northbound U-turn bridge and safety lighting in the area. The TxDOT bridge at I-35 will have three lanes, sidewalks and shoulders. Work includes widening the southbound frontage road to two lanes through the creek intersection. Timeline: spring 2016-summer 2017 Cost: $9.2 million Funding sources: state Proposition 1 funds

4. Behind schedule: Frate Barker Road widening The project will widen the road to a total of five lanes east of Hewitt Lane to Manchaca Road and a three-lane section from east of Brodie Lane to Hewitt. The entire project area will have bike lanes, sidewalks and a continuous center left-turn lane. An AT&T utility relocation has delayed the project. Timeline: February 2014-summer 2017 Cost: about $7 million for construction Funding sources: Travis County, Federal Highway Administration funds through TxDOT

5. Hazard Elimination project on Fitzhugh Road TxDOT plans to make safety improvements to Fitzhugh Road, including adding signage, delineation and guardrails along the roadway from Hwy. 290 to the Hays County line. The project is slated to go out for contractor bids in August 2017. Timeline: August 2017-fall/winter 2017 Cost: approximately $104,500 Funding sources: TxDOT federal funds, Travis County

6. On schedule: FM 1626 widening and improvements A public hearing took place Jan. 14 to gain public feedback on the design for the project, which will rebuild FM 1626 from Brodie Lane to Manchaca Road, widening it from a two-lane road to a four-lane highway with a continuous left-turn lane plus shoulders, curbs, gutters and sidewalks. The on-schedule project is in the design phase, which is about 80 percent complete. Once all public comments are received, the county can finish the design and start acquiring the right of way. Timeline: August 2012-summer 2019 Cost: $12 million Funding sources: design funded by Travis County, construction funded by TxDOTSou

7. SH 45 SW design phase The Mobility Authority has identified opportunities to enhance the design cleared by TxDOT in 2015 for the limited-access, four-lane, 3.6-mile toll road connecting MoPac to FM 1626 in Hays County. Preliminary approval of funding was received at the December Texas Transportation Commission board meeting and final approval is pending. The Mobility Authority is finalizing its design and coordinating reviews with key stakeholders, and expects to request construction bids early this year. Timeline: spring 2016-spring 2018 Cost: $100 million (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization estimate) Funding sources: Travis and Hays counties, Mobility Authority, TxDOT Toll Equity grant, TxDOT Toll Equity Loan