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Follow TURFLakeway proposes toll road over preserve
Lakeway suggests toll road over Balcones Preserve
by SHANNON MURRAY / KVUE NEWS and Photojournalist SCOTT MCKENNEY
Posted on June 7, 2013
LAKEWAY, Texas -- Lakeway officials say a new toll road could be the answer to traffic congestion in western Travis County, but some Austinites worry about the suggested highway's location.
It would start at Highway 71 and end where Ranch Road 620 meets 2222, but it's the area between there that has some people concerned. The road would cross The Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.
"620 is miserable," said Kathryn Wahlers, who used to live near the busy road. "It's terrible out there."
"We need to start somewhere to solve this traffic problem. Just sitting here and ignoring it doesn't make any sense," said Lakeway Mayor Dave DeOme. "It's not going away. It's only going to get worse." Mayor DeOme says expanding 620 isn't an option since businesses already line the roadway. He has another idea.
"I'll call it 'the closing of the gap between 45 north and 45 south,'" he explained. He's suggesting a limited access toll road. The highway would stretch from Hwy 71 to Hwy 45, then cross over RR 620 and end where 620 and 2222 meet, meaning the new highway would cross the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.
"They need to design whatever they need to do to relieve the congestion by making things environmentally friendly also," said Richard Hilsta, who has lived in Austin since 1975.
Just on the outskirts of the Balcones Preserve people enjoy a pristine backdrop for hiking, swimming and experiencing the outdoors in Austin. "We're always losing more and more of our natural habitats for not only us, but the animals," Hilsta said.
Mayor DeOme says the city would have to make some compromises to ensure any disruption to nature and the wildlife in the preserve is kept to a minimum.
"There would have to be absolutely some mitigation of the use of some of that land," Mayor DeOme said. "We may come up and find there is a reasonable trade off that everybody could live with."
When it comes to the environment, he encourages Austin to look at the big picture.
"There's a balance that has to be worked here. Sitting in traffic with your engine running and not going anywhere, I would argue, is environmentally unsound also," Mayor DeOme pointed out.
The discussion over the proposed road is just beginning, but as the conversation stands now many say building new roads is a good idea, but isn't worth the risk of losing something else.
"I love Austin because of this, and I hope stuff like this stays," Wahlers said.
Right now the toll road is just a suggestion from the city council. They will be meeting with the community and preserve representatives in the coming months. The city started discussing the toll after noticing the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization didn't have any projects planned for the area in the 2035 plan. This plan wouldn't even start until 2040 if it's approved.