Cedar Park Officials Plan Innovative Intersection Installation

CEDAR PARK, TX -- Transportation officials plan to install a new type of intersection aimed at enhancing traffic flow in Cedar Park.

On Aug. 2, the Texas Department of Transportation, in partnership with the City of Cedar Park and Williamson County, will open the county’s first continuous flow intersection project at RM 1431 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard/Parmer Lane, city officials said.

Before it's unveiled, however, crews will have to close the intersection of RM 1431 and Ronald Reagan

Boulevard/Parmer Lane, city officials said. Work at the intersection is expected to take place from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. Sunday and Monday nights, July 31 and Aug. 1, weather permitting.

City officials urge motorists to plan ahead and allow extra time to travel through this area
during the affected hours.
• Sunday, 8 p.m. to Monday, 6 a.m.: Various lane closures, eastbound pavement work
Work on Sunday night includes blacking out all of the existing eastbound pavement markings,
adjusting the traffic signals, and restriping the eastbound RM 1431 through lanes to the new lane
assignments.
• Monday, 8 p.m. to Tuesday, 6 a.m.: Westbound work, intersection closed, expect detours
On Monday night, crews will black out all of the existing westbound and RM 1431/Parmer Lane
intersection pavement markings, as well as adjust the traffic signals for the new westbound lanes.
o Beginning at 10 p.m., the RM 1431/Parmer Lane intersection will be closed to leftturning
and through-traffic. All traffic will be forced to make a right turn and follow detours
in order for work to take place in the middle of the intersection.
"Crews expect to have the final pattern of the CFI in place by rush hour on Tuesday, Aug. 2, barring any
unforeseen circumstances," city officials said in a statement. "Once the traffic has been moved into the new CFI configuration, the contractor will continue to pave the project at night."

The innovative device is called a continuous flow intersection, or CFI, designed to enhance safety and increases traffic flow through intersections by allowing left-turning traffic and through-traffic to move simultaneously.

A CFI differs from a traditional intersection in a number of ways.

"Traditional intersections have left-turning traffic placed in the middle of the road, so through-traffic must wait for those vehicles to turn," city officials said. "In a CFI, drivers wishing to turn left will move through a mid-block traffic signal and proceed to the far left side of the road. This allows them to make a free-flowing left-hand turn at the main intersection, which reduces delays and travel time for all motorists. Through-traffic proceeds as it would in a typical intersection."