Austin - Community Impact Newspaper

8 | June 2009 Community Impact Newspaper • Northwest Austin Edition
Transportation Update Pond Springs Road
A heavily traveled road in northwest Austin will get
road improvements this summer that include a 12-foot
wide center turning lane and sidewalks along the eastern
side of the road.
Construction on Pond Springs Road, a two-lane road
that extends almost 2 miles east of and along US 183, begins
this month, and improvements to the road will not
likely be completed until October, Williamson County
Precinct 1 Commissioner Lisa Birkman said.
The county is adding 6-foot wide shoulders to both sides
of the road, which the City of Austin will eventually upgrade
to bike lanes, according to a recently entered upon
agreement between the city and county. Under the agreement,
the city will take over maintenance of Pond Springs
Road after the county completes its improvements.
The road will also be constructed at a slight slant to the
N
Anderson Mill Rd.
183
Turning lane
Six-foot wide shoulders
Sidewalks
©2009 St. David’s HealthCare. All rights reserved.
Pond Springs Rd.
For more information,
contact Tammy Smith
(tsmith@wilco.org) or Mary Clark
(mclark@wilco.org) or call 733-5380.
Hunters Chase Dr.
McNeil Dr.
east, where a 15-foot grass strip is being added to ensure
water quality.
The improvements will affect about 80 businesses that
have driveway entrances along the road, county officials
said. But of those, none have permanent structures
located in the right-of-way that the county plans to use
for the project. Business owners were notified that any
Dumpsters or signs located in the right-of-way had to be
removed by May 26.
Rene Breaux, manager of Silver Star Self Storage,
which is located along Pond Springs Road, said the
business will have to move its mailbox back about 6 feet
because it is in the road easement the county is using for
the project.
Breaux said she fears the summer construction could
have a negative effect on the storage business because it
will slow traffic in front of her business.
“There are about 200 customers going in and out of
here all day, every day,” she said. “In this bad economy, I
can’t have anyone moving out because of this.”
Still, Breaux said, she is aware of the need for the improvements.
Each morning during rush hour, she watches
from her office desk as a long line of cars piles up in front
of the business.
“We’re looking forward to the expansion because it’s
got to be done,” she said.
Down the road from her, Jollyville Barber Shop owner
Ty Cobb said he will lose about half of his current parking
lot space due to the road improvements.
While he said there will be some headaches during construction,
he also looks forward to having the improvements
done.
Birkman and the engineers working for the county
it’s for her
said the project will cost
$3.5 million to complete
and is being paid for
with money from the
county’s $228 million
bond package that voters
passed in 2006.
The push for improvements
on Pond Springs
Road began four years
ago, when residents in
the area were surveyed
by the county about
their top three priorities
for their community.
Lisa Birkman, Williamson County
Commissioner
Improving Pond Springs Road was at the top of their
list, Birkman said.
The sidewalks and turning lanes are meant to aid children
and their families in getting to and from Live Oak
Elementary School and Deerpark Middle School, which
are located off the road.
“It’s exciting to have constituents come to me for a
project and we actually get to do it,” Birkman said.
Normally, she said, it is the city or county that requests
a project be done.
“This time it came from neighborhoods,” she said.
Birkman hosted a town hall meeting in May to update
residents and businesses on the improvements.
A formal presentation on the project was given during
the meeting, and attendees were able to submit their questions
to county staff and engineers hired for the project.
The county created a website with updates and details
of the project: www.pondspringsroad.org.
A dedicated facility with an unwavering focus—the
comprehensive care of mothers and their newborn
infants. A place where great minds come together to
share information, contribute their expertise, and
utilize state-of-the-art technology to provide for
their patients, large and small. A place where the
health, comfort, and treatment of women inform
everything we do. The St. David’s Women’s Center
of Texas, located on the campus of the North Austin
Medical Center. It’s here. And it’s for her.
St. David’s North Austin Medical Center • 12221 N. Mopac Expy. Austin, TX 78758 • (512) 901-1050 • www.womenscenteroftexas.com
By Melissa Mixon