|
Adding Capacity and Protecting the Environment: a Balancing Act
Two major Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority road projects reached significant milestones last month: the SH 45SW project and the Bergstrom Expressway received environmental clearance and will move forward into the design phase. The Bergstrom Expressway will quadruple capacity along US 183 from US 290 to SH 71 towards Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The project includes six new tolled lanes and six non-tolled frontage lanes. SH 45SW will provide relief to congested roadways in southern Travis and northern Hays Counties. Both projects incorporate community input to ensure a better commute experience and will include improvements for pedestrian and cyclist travel.
“All of the roadways we build are held to high environmental standards," said Mobility Authority Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein. “When it comes to building a construction project such as SH 45SW over the environmentally sensitive Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, the community expects that we go the extra mile."
SH 45SW Cleared for Construction
After a years-long environmental study, the Record of Decision was signed by the Texas Department of Transportation on March 4. The decision clears the way for the Mobility Authority to design the four-mile, four lane, limited access toll road extending from MoPac to Farm-to-Market Road 1626 (FM 1626). The approval means commuters in southern Travis and northern Hays counties are one step closer to seeing improvements that will ease relentless congestion. The project will increase safety in neighborhoods that are now suffering with traffic woes created by commuters cutting through them to avoid congestion. The project includes water quality protections and other environmental initiatives to protect the region’s valuable resources. The facility will be designed, constructed, maintained and operated by the Mobility Authority. A one-way toll for the length of the toll road is expected to be about a dollar. Those toll revenues will pay for the construction, maintenance and operation of the roadway. For more information, click here.
Bergstrom Expressway Project Gets Environmental Nod
The Bergstrom Expressway Project was environmentally cleared in March and can now move forward. Almost 60,000 people a day travel on the route, including commuters and and those traveling to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. This congested and hazardous route has long been a priority in Austin transportation planning. With environmental clearance, the Mobility Authority will proceed to the final design and construction phase. For more information, click here.
|
