TUESDAY: Open House For Round Rock Transportation Master Plan Update Scheduled

ROUND ROCK, TX — The second open house for the city's Transportation Master Plan Update is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, officials said.

Attendees at Tuesday's open house will be able to come and go as they please. Once there, they will see exhibits about the Round Rock Transportation Master Plan (TMP), including goals, existing conditions of the transportation network, the updated proposed thoroughfare plan and results of the Transportation Master Plan Survey.

Those planning to attend are encouraged to share thoughts and provide feedback, and city officials and municipal consultants will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the plan in detail.

The first open house was staged Sept. 20, 2016 at the Allen R. Baca Senior Center, where residents learned about the TMP Update process, provide feedback on their perspective as it relates to transportation issues and deficiencies, the challenges the TMP will address and to sign up to receive project updates.

For questions ahead of the open house, contact the city TMP representative via email at planupdate@roundrocktexas.gov or by phone at (512) 218-7044. The open house is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 7 at the Allen R. Baca Senior Center, 301 W Bagdad Ave # 2, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

As Round Rock city officials explain on a municipal portal, the TMP is an effort to keep up with brisk growth: "Population and employment growth in the city of Round Rock have not slowed down. This 2016 update to the TMP provides an opportunity for the City to measure and evaluate current transportation demand in the city of Round Rock."

Viable improvements and recommendations for the city’s transportation infrastructure will be developed based on increasing population and employment growth within the city limits and the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), city officials said. "By planning for the ultimate growth of the city, the TMP establishes the ultimate roadway network and protects adequate rights-of-way to meet future transportation needs."

To that end, the goals and objectives of the TMP Update support the goals of the previous plans:

• Ensure citizens of Round Rock are afforded an adequate future transportation system.
• Ensure efficient utilization of the 1997 1/2 cent sales tax dedicated to roadway improvements.
• Identify major deficiencies in the existing transportation network.
• Maintain the quality of life enjoyed by the citizens of Round Rock.

"The TMP Update will consider all transportation modes including roadway expansion, express lanes on IH-35, transit options and bicycle/pedestrian facilities," officials said. As the TMP Update is developed, the city of Round Rock and its consultant will:

• Incorporate citizen participation into the planning process.
• Evaluate the existing transportation network.
• Identify current and future land uses and travel patterns, as well as population and employment forecasts.
• Update roadway design standards for current needs.
• Identify necessary transportation network improvements.
• Develop a short-term (2025), and an ultimate transportation network to serve the community needs.

>>> Image via City of Round Rock