Round Rock City Council Set To Approve $1.2B Updated Road Master Plan

ROUND ROCK, TX — City council members are expected later this month to adopt an updated transportation master plan later this month—a forward-looking document assessing needs through 2040 for projects collectively costing nearly $1.2 billion.

Transportation department director Gary Hudder presented a Transportation Master Plan update to the City Council at a special called meeting on Aug. 31. The city previously hired HDR to aid in updating the master plan originally adopted in 2007.

The goals of the update, city officials said, were to ensure adequate future transportation system for Round Rock residents and to allow for the efficient utilization of the 1997 1/2-cent sales tax dedicated to roadway improvements. The updates also aim to identify major deficiencies in the existing transportation network, and to maintain the quality of life for residents, city officials said.

The update resulted from a lengthy public involvement process that began in September 2016. In addition to six outreach meetings staged throughout the community, more than 1,000 responses were received via an online survey. Concerns and comments ranged in topic—including congestion on Interstate 35 and city roadways, long commute times, accidents and safety considerations.
Input from regional transportation partners, including TxDOT and Williamson County, figured in the master plan updates reckoning, city officials said.

"While a few additions and minor realignments to main arterials were included in the projected thoroughfare plan, the concentration was on minor arterials and major collector alignments," city officials suggested on the municipal website. "The goal is to improve the connections of these smaller roads in order to move some traffic off of the main arterials."

Other areas considered included a crash analysis to ensure all improvements consider public safety, bicycle and pedestrian needs, and ensuring that, wherever possible, roadways maintain the hometown look and feel desired through landscape elements, sidewalk treatments, and trees.

The Master Plan forecasts to 2040 and outlines short-term, mid-term, and long-term improvements over the next 23 years, according to city officials. The anticipated total for all projects is $1,165,637,000, officials added. In addition to property tax and the 1/2-cent sales tax dedicated to roadway improvements, potential funding strategies include cost-participation with local and state partners, development impact fees, transportation reinvestment zones, public-private partnerships, chapter 380/381 economic development agreements, and TIRZs and TIFs.

The full presentation to council can be viewed here.

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