Transportation Update | Pond Springs Road

Transportation Update | Pond Springs Road

By Melissa Mixon Friday, 26 June 2009

A heavily traveled road in northwest Austin will get road improvements this summer that include a 12-foot wide center turning lane and sidewalks along the eastern side of the road.

Construction on Pond Springs Road, a two-lane road that extends almost 2 miles east of and along US 183, begins this month, and improvements to the road will not likely be completed until October, Williamson County Precinct 1 Commissioner Lisa Birkman said.

The county is adding 6-foot wide shoulders to both sides of the road, which the City of Austin will eventually upgrade to bike lanes, according to a recently entered upon agreement between the city and county. Under the agreement, the city will take over maintenance of Pond Springs Road after the county completes its improvements.

The road will also be constructed at a slight slant to the east, where a 15-foot grass strip is being added to ensure water quality.

The improvements will affect about 80 businesses that have driveway entrances along the road, county officials said. But of those, none have permanent structures located in the right-of-way that the county plans to use for the project. Business owners were notified that any Dumpsters or signs located in the right-of-way had to be removed by May 26.

Rene Breaux, manager of Silver Star Self Storage, which is located along Pond Springs Road, said the business will have to move its mailbox back about 6 feet because it is in the road easement the county is using for the project.

Breaux said she fears the summer construction could have a negative effect on the storage business because it will slow traffic in front of her business.

“There are about 200 customers going in and out of here all day, every day,” she said. “In this bad economy, I can’t have anyone moving out because of this.”

Still, Breaux said, she is aware of the need for the improvements. Each morning during rush hour, she watches from her office desk as a long line of cars piles up in front of the business.

“We’re looking forward to the expansion because it’s got to be done,” she said.

Down the road from her, Jollyville Barber Shop owner Ty Cobb said he will lose about half of his current parking lot space due to the road improvements.

While he said there will be some headaches during construction, he also looks forward to having the improvements done.

Birkman and the engineers working for the county said the project will cost $3.5 million to complete and is being paid for with money from the county’s $228 million bond package that voters passed in 2006.

The push for improvements on Pond Springs Road began four years ago, when residents in the area were surveyed by the county about their top three priorities for their community. Improving Pond Springs Road was at the top of their list, Birkman said.

The sidewalks and turning lanes are meant to aid children and their families in getting to and from Live Oak Elementary School and Deerpark Middle School, which are located off the road.

“It’s exciting to have constituents come to me for a project and we actually get to do it,” Birkman said.

Normally, she said, it is the city or county that requests a project be done.

“This time it came from neighborhoods,” she said.

Birkman hosted a town hall meeting in May to update residents and businesses on the improvements.

A formal presentation on the project was given during the meeting, and attendees were able to submit their questions to county staff and engineers hired for the project.

The county created a website with updates and details of the project: www.pondspringsroad.org.

For more information, contact Tammy Smith ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Mary Clark ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or call 733-5380.