Construction Updates
Our construction team in Oak Hill continues to make great progress building the Oak Hill Parkway.
On the west end, drainage and utility infrastructure is being installed in anticipation of the new frontage roads and widening efforts. You may have noticed a traffic shift west of Circle Drive. It is important drivers pay special attention to signage and road markings and, as always, limit distractions while driving. Additionally, the construction of walls, including two approved sound walls and many retaining walls, continues near Circle Drive, RM 1826, and Convict Hill Road.
Near the “Y”, you may see bridge construction including preparations to upgrade the Old Bee Caves Road bridge over Williamson Creek. McCarty Lane at US 290 was closed in April and traffic will detour via Joe Tanner Lane for about a year.
On the east end, the team continues to widen the US 290 bridges over Old Fredericksburg Road and Monterey Oaks Boulevard, and we are beginning to put in place the new shared-use path on the north and south side of US 290.
This summer, the long-term shift of the traffic signal at Circle Drive/South View Road to near Thunderbird Road will begin, and this may affect US 290 traffic heading from west of Oak Hill to SH 71.
Exact timing of traffic shifts and lane closures will be determined as the design of the project progresses. TxDOT will share information when it becomes available. We urge you to sign up for the weekly construction alert email on oakhillparkway.com
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New Renderings Available
You ask, we answer! Below you can see an easy-to-understand image of what US 290 at Circle Drive/South View Road could look like when the project is complete. Circle Drive/South View Road at US 290 will be reconstructed to a ground-level bridge over lowered US 290 mainlanes. The traffic signal will move to north of the bridge near Mowinkle Drive and traffic patterns will change as a result. Access to the US 290 mainlanes will be via entrance ramps along the new frontage roads.
Like this artistic rendering? Check out more of them on our website.
We’re currently working on a new rendering to better show our design of the Old Bee Caves Road bridge near the “Y.” When finished, we will post the image on our website and share by newsletter. Construction on the new Old Bee Caves Road bridge has begun and will continue into next year. In 2023, there will be a six-month full closure of Old Bee Caves Road at US 290 to complete the new bridge. During that temporary closure, all traffic heading to and from points north of Williamson Creek on Old Bee Caves Road will use SH 71/Fletcher Lane.
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May is Motorcycle Safety Month. Commit to looking twice for your biking neighbors in your blind spots and remember, bikes take less time to stop so brake lights come on later than you may expect – keep your distance.
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Cleaning up Oak Hill for Keep Austin Beautiful Day
As the Oak Hill Parkway team builds a better way to travel along US 290, TxDOT’s design-build contractor Colorado River Constructors (CRC) remains committed to giving back to the local community during construction. As part of that commitment, the project team held its first Oak Hill Community Cleanup in conjunction with Keep Austin Beautiful Day on Saturday, April 9.
More than 30 Oak Hill residents and Oak Hill Parkway project team members met at the historic James A. Patton Building, now home to Madrone’s Coffee. The local business owners partnered with the project team to provide free parking and coffee to all the volunteers in attendance.
After a short safety briefing, teams of two fanned out along the US 290 frontage roads, picking up litter and filling more than two dozen trash bags during the two-hour event.
We’d like to thank the community for participating in this clean up and look forward to future events.
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A water truck makes a pass near El Rey Boulevard and US 290 to spray down the job site's subgrade. This is part of approved dust mitigation procedures in active construction areas.
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Workers pour concrete into a future wall east of Convict Hill Road at US 290. This wall will hold up a new shared-use path and serve as the foundation for a future sound wall to be built near Bell Quarry Hill apartments.
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Crewmember Ramon G. conducts a concrete and rebar quality check on a freshly poured bridge foundation east of Old Bee Caves Road at US 290. These foundations will be followed by the construction of concrete columns that will support the future US 290 westbound frontage road bridge over Williamson Creek.
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Collaborating to Create Careers in Construction
Construction is booming in the fast-growing Austin area, making bridging the gap between large project expertise and entry-level recruits challenging. That’s why TxDOT and CRC are working together to offer career training opportunities on the highway project for those interested in joining the local construction labor force.
These free training programs are part of TxDOT’s Texas Construction Career Academy. By offering on-the-job training, TxDOT & CRC hope to encourage more workers to enter the construction field, providing a pipeline of trained and qualified construction recruits for the state’s active roadway projects. In-demand positions with training opportunities include equipment operators, skilled laborers, mechanics, and carpenters.
Domonica Ivory-Foster, a career development case manager with the Austin Urban League, encouraged several apprentices to attend the recent OJT training held at the Oak Hill Parkway project office in March. “A lot of people want to work in construction, but they don’t have the proper experience,” said Ivory-Foster. “It's great there is a program like this because there’s a lot of talent out there."
For those interested in building a construction career with the Oak Hill Parkway Project Team, please visit OakHillParkway.com/about/employment.
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The Oak Hill Parkway project served as a field training location for those in the program. Here, trainees learn how to operate a loader along US 290 in Oak Hill.
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Zero Incidents, Zero Harm: Oak Hill Parkway Team Focus on Safety During Construction
During the first week of May, the Oak Hill Parkway team participated with other construction projects around the country in National Construction Safety Week. It’s part of a nation-wide effort to keep safety top of mind on every construction site.
Each morning, construction workers on shift gathered for safety discussions and safe-work demonstrations on topics including trenching and excavation, fall protection, silica dust hazards, and working around heavy equipment.
“We want safety to be the first thing considered before every activity,” says CRC Construction Manager David Trent. “Safety on the jobsite can never be over-emphasized, and we need to keep safety ingrained in our team culture as an everyday habit.”
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We welcome you to join us in our focus on safety. Nearly one in five crashes on Texas roads are caused by a distracted driver. Distracted driving in a work zone can have even more severe consequences. Stay alert and help our crews get home safely.
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