Oak Hill preps for traffic solutions

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin Pizza Garden calls an old, limestone building along U.S. Highway 290 in Southwest Austin home. When it went up in 1898, wagons were about the only traffic this stretch saw.

Now it is one of the busiest roadways in the state, and the pizza place has one of the worst locations when it comes to congestion.

Jimmy McFeeley gets an earful from customers every day.

"A lot of people coming in, they just pull over here, maybe, and hang out,” said the Austin Pizza Garden waiter.

They love the food but also appreciate the rest stop. A little relief on the road might be nice, too -- and it might be just around the corner .

One of the major solutions is a continuous-flow lane . It takes turning cars out of the way of oncoming traffic, so both directions can continue turning at the same time.

The Texas Department of Transportation, the city of Austin, and Travis County are all looking at that possibility for the intersections at William Cannon Drive, Joe Tanner Lane and the 'Y' at Oak Hill.

They are part of a larger $8 million improvement project. Construction should begin next year.

"I mean, it takes like an hour and a half before you can get a pizza to somebody, you know what I mean?" said Chris Tays, another Austin Pizza Garden waiter.

These solutions could help the area get through another seven to 10 years.

McFeeley said, without something long-term, his business will eventually have to compete with congestion again.

"We've got cheap beer, too,” he laughed. “People will fight traffic for that."

Officials will hold an open house meeting about proposed improvements for the Oak Hill area this week. It is Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Clint Small Jr. Middle School.