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Transportation Update: FM 1460 / A.W. Grimes Blvd.

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By Rob Heidrick Friday, 05 June 2009

The Texas Department of Transportation opened bids May 8 for the first phase of improvements to FM 1460/A.W. Grimes Boulevard between Hwy. 79 and Old Settlers Boulevard in Round Rock.

Roadwork is expected to begin by July. The road will be widened from two lanes to five — two in each direction with a center turn lane.

The first phase of the project has a budget of $14.5 million, which will be funded by TxDOT. The road will remain open during the estimated 18-month construction period, TxDOT spokesman Marcus Cooper said. Crews will work on one side of the road at a time, and traffic will be routed through the other two lanes.

The project’s second phase will expand FM 1460 between Old Settlers Boulevard and about 1,000 feet north of University Boulevard. This portion of the road will also be widened to create two lanes moving in each direction, but unlike the first portion, it will include a solid median dividing the two sides. There will be breaks in parts of the median to allow for left turns.

The second phase’s $22 million budget will be funded in part by a $10 million federal grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which Congress passed in February. The City of Round Rock, Williamson County and Austin-based Waterstone Development will contribute the remaining funds. Waterstone is also the developer of Avery Centre, a 1,400-acre mixed-use community at the intersection of FM 1460 and CR 112.

Gary Newman, president of land use and operations at Waterstone, said the improvements will be mutually advantageous to local drivers as well as Avery Centre property owners.

“Real estate is driven by location, and location is enhanced by ease of traffic, so obviously we all benefit from that,” Newman said.

Under the proposed funding arrangement, the developers will pay half of the costs remaining after the stimulus money is applied, up to $5 million. The bond investment will gradually be recouped through road district taxes, Newman said.

The city and the county will split the remaining cost evenly, said John Dean, Round Rock transportation planner. The agreement between Waterstone and the local governments has not yet been finalized.

Bidding for phase two is scheduled to open in August, but no start date has been set for the project, which has an anticipated timeline of 18-24 months. Dean said there are several utility lines that must be relocated before construction can begin.

The Texas A&M Health Science Center began construction on its new medical school on CR 112 last year, and Texas State University is building a nursing school near the intersection of University Boulevard and CR 112. Austin Community College also broke ground on its Round Rock campus nearby in February.