From time to time we all get rushed, and the previous version was sent too soon.
Introducing "MoPac Man!"
The Mobility Authority is completing design work on the MoPac Improvement Project and will officially break ground in October 2013. The project will add one express lane in each direction from Lady Bird Lake to Parmer Lane and should be completed by late 2015. Construction of the first sound wall should start in December 2013 on the west side of MoPac near Steck Avenue. Initial roadway construction will take place between RM 2222 and Braker Lane. Detailed information regarding construction schedules can be found at www.mopacexpress.com.
Mobility Authority staff member Steve Pustelnyk has been assigned to lead the community outreach effort on the project under the persona of “MoPac Man.” Steve will interact with the community in a personalized way via his MoPac Man blog and use Facebook, Google+ and Twitter to answer questions and keep residents and commuters up to date on the project. A MoPac Project mobile app is due to be launched in late August.
An open house is set for Thursday, September 5 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at O. Henry Middle School to address some project design changes being proposed for the intersection at MoPac and Cesar Chavez/5th Street. More info can be found in the environmental study section of the project web site at www.mopacexpress.com.
Meet the Bergstrom Bees
The Mobility Authority recently relocated over 40,000 honeybees from two large hives along US 183 in the Bergstrom Expressway Environmental Study corridor. Bees pollinate plants and trees and are a critical part of the agricultural industry and our food supply. In recent years, the worldwide bee population has been declining at an alarming rate. Given that decline, the Mobility Authority felt it was critical to move the hives to a safer location, so that environmental study work could take place in the area without disturbing the bees or risking injury to nearby workers.
“Keeping people moving is the core mission of the Mobility Authority, a mission that usually involves wheels,” said Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein. “But we are also committed to preserving and protecting the environment whenever feasible, and we’re excited to be part of a mobility project that involves not wheels but wings – about 40,000 pairs of them.”
Learn more about the Bergstrom bees here.
Above video credit: The Texas Tribune
Manor Expressway Construction
Phase 1 of this project, the interchange of US 183 and US 290, is being heavily used, while construction continues on the rest of the Expressway and its frontage roads. The contractor is working through intersections and paving roadway lanes. In the next few months, expect eastbound and westbound frontage road construction and construction at Johnny Morris/Giles Road; Harris Branch Parkway; Tuscany Way and the Springdale Road intersections.
Bergstrom Expressway Environmental
Study
The project team is preparing for the study's second Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) Open House scheduled for October 10, 2013 at SW Key – 6002 Jain Lane, Austin, TX 78721. Comments and feedback from the first CSS Open House held in March have been incorporated in to the design schematic, and aesthetic concepts including enhanced landscape, neighborhood connectivity and structural elements will be presented for additional feedback. For those unable to participate in the Open House, a survey will be hosted on BergstromExpressway.com beginning onOctober 10th, so feedback can be provided online.
Oak Hill Parkway Environmental Study
Since the last Open House held in May, the study team has been working with local stakeholders to develop a new concept as well as defining criteria to evaluate the concepts as the study progresses. Both the new concepts and design criteria will be presented for review and feedback at the next Open House scheduled for late October. For more information about the project and to learn additional details about the next Open House, visit OakHillParkway.com.
Introducing the MoPac South Environmental Study
MoPac Expressway south of Lady Bird Lake is a vital artery for Austin commuters and neighbors, as well as visitors to our region. The Mobility Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) are working with area transportation partners to improve mobility on approximately eight miles of the MoPac Expressway from Cesar Chavez to the Slaughter Lane area (project limits will be confirmed following traffic and environmental analysis.) An environmental study has been initiated to study a full range of alternatives that take into account the needs of drivers, transit riders, bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as surrounding businesses, neighborhoods and the environment. The first Open House is planned for early November.
Concurrently, a separate study is being conducted to assess possible mobility and safety improvements at the intersections of the MoPac Expressway with Slaughter Lane and La Crosse Avenue.
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