New Oak Hill Parkway study under way

AUSTIN (KXAN) - What should be done to improve long-term mobility in congestion plagued Oak Hill? That’s the question the Texas Department of Transportation and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority will be looking to answer over the next few years with the start of a new study.

The group will work with drivers, neighborhood residents and various stakeholder groups to consider a wide range of options as part of the new environmental study called "Oak Hill Parkway."

A public meeting will the held in November for nearby residents to provide input about traffic in the area.

The study name, Oak Hill Parkway, was selected after holding an Envisioning Mobility Workshop with members of the community in August and then conducting a community-wide vote.

The project team kicked off the study on Wednesday with the support of community leaders, including State Rep. Paul Workman and Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber.

“Our community has been enduring backups at the “Y” in Oak Hill for far too long,” said Workman. “Congestion has hurt our quality of life and led to environmental degradation and lost economic opportunity. The time has come to fix the problem once and for all.”

“The pressures on our statewide water resources are immense," Huber said, "and the needed mobility improvements that occur in Oak Hill must do everything within reason to protect these precious natural resources that are so important to our future and to our high quality of life.”

“The project name represents a new beginning,” says Greg Malatek, Austin District Engineer for TxDOT. “While we won’t ignore study work done over the past three decades, we will essentially be starting over. That means taking the time to fully understand the wants and needs of the community before developing a new list of reasonable and feasible options to improve mobility in Oak Hill.”

“We are committed to relieving congestion and improving safety in Oak Hill,” says Ray Wilkerson, Mobility Authority chairman.

In addition to roadway improvements, the Mobility Authority will be putting together a Community Enhancement Team to see how the authority might partner with Capital Metro, the city of Austin and Travis County to revitalize Oak Hill.

“We will be looking at a wide range of opportunities to improve transit, enhance bicycle and pedestrian facilities, increase green space and support redevelopment in the corridor,” Wilkerson said.

Capital Metro manages a Park-and-Ride lot in Oak Hill and operates a popular Express Bus service to downtown. “Traffic congestion in Oak Hill slows down our Express Bus service and makes it difficult to access our park and ride facility,” says Linda Watson, Capital Metro president/CEO. “Anything we can do to reduce traffic congestion will improve the quality of life for our riders and everyone who travels through Oak Hill.”

While the Oak Hill Parkway study is under way, TxDOT and the city of Austin will be making short-term improvements at a number of intersections along US Highway 290. Those improvements should help reduce congestion until a long-term solution can be implemented.

Open meeting for the public

Members of the community will get their first opportunity to share concerns regarding congestion in Oak Hill at an open house meeting scheduled for Nov. 15 at Small Middle School from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The project team will be on hand to answer questions about the study process, listen to concerns and accept official comments. There will be numerous community meetings and open houses during the course of the study, which is expected to take at least four years to complete, officials said Wednesday.

Officials also held a public meeting in March about the traffic problems at Oak Hill.

Details about the study can be found online.