Lakeway Proposes Tollway
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Summary:
* The City of Lakeway has proposed a tollway across the Balcones Canyonland Preserve running between Steiner Ranch and River Place and between Senna Hills and Barton Creek neighborhoods as a way to divert traffic from RM 620 through the city.
* SRNA has requested from officials to be engaged in any future dialogue regarding this proposal or alternatives for the CAMPO 2040 plan.
* TXDOT was not aware of this proposal prior to being contacted this week and the proposal does not represent any official plan from transportation officials – it is a proposal the City of Lakeway which they derived after working with an independent consultant.
* SRNA has been advocating for both immediate and longer term fixes for the RM620 corridor with TXDOT and others during the past year. We will continue collaboration with TXDOT officials as they evaluate options for improving the RM620 and FM2222 corridors. We believe it is critical to mature both a long range regional plan to meet demands on western Austin metro area and to look for more immediate options to address existing and rapidly growing congestion. TXDOT has been very responsive to our concerns and is in the process of looking at how to further address the very significant traffic congestion at RM 620 and FM 2222 extending through River Place Blvd / Four Points Drive in the near term. For the long term, SRNA agrees with Lakeway that solutions for growth in the western Austin metropolitan area should be included in the CAMPO 2040 plan; however:
* The specific Lakeway toll proposal raises significant concerns for many communities including the Steiner Ranch area. We look forward to working with TXDOT, CTRMA, and surrounding communities and officials to evolve a full set of options and alternatives to the specific proposal to meet our western Austin arterial needs.
Note: Image from lakewaybee.com – no hi-res yet available
Lakeway Proposes Tollway Adjacent to Steiner Ranch / River Place
As now reported in several media outlets, the staff at the City of Lakeway has proposed a tolled alternative to RM 620 bypassing their areas of population and commerce. Their proposal was developed with assistance from a consulting firm and has not yet been rolled out to TXDOT, or area transportation officials.
Per the supplied map, the proposal would connect US 71 south of Bee Caves with RM 620 north of Steiner Ranch by building a new tollway over Lake Austin near Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park into the Steiner Ranch peninsula and continuing across the Balcones Canyonland Preserve between River Place and Steiner Ranch. The proposed tollway as described and drawn would terminate south of RM 620 and FM 2222 – funneling traffic to and from this intersection.
Lakeway’s stated intention is for inclusion of this plan or similar to address transportation challenges on the Western edge of the Austin metro area in the CAMPO 2040 plan – a long range plan used to direct funding for regional planning priorities.
Update from SRNA on Toll Proposal
SRNA learned of the proposal on June 9th and immediate communicated requests for involvement in any future discussion to TXDOT and officials from the city, county and state representing our area. TXDOT responded, indicating that it has not yet been contacted by the City of Lakeway and was not previously aware of this proposal, thus indicating the proposal has not yet be vetted by transportation officials. SRNA also expressed significant concerns with the specific Lakeway toll proposal.
SRNA has been independently in communication with TXDOT and others during the past year regarding both immediate and long range planning for the RM 620 corridor including improvements for FM 2222. One of our primary areas of focus has been to get both short and long term improvements into plan for the arterial roadways serving the Four Points area and Lake Travis communities ( see Traffic). TXDOT has been very responsive to the identified traffic priorities for our area as is continuing investigation of options to help alleviate traffic congestion in our area; specifically, TXDOT will be examining options for further improving the flow of traffic through the very congested RM 620 and FM 2222 corridor through capacity and efficiency improvements.
Initial examination of the Lakeway toll proposal reveals a number of significant problems with the proposal including disruption of the BCCP, proximity to established neighborhoods (spanning Steiner Ranch, River Place, Senna Hills, Barton Creek Preserve and others), functional and cost/benefit issues regarding access and volume. Obvious issues also include the dumping of traffic into what is already one of the most congested intersections in the city at RM 620 and FM 2222 – any final viable solution will need to avoid this.
Even though specific concerns exist regarding this proposal, we look forward to working with Lakeway and others to explore all options and seek out a compatible vision for how to address are region’s transportation needs.