“Bridging Business and Community”

Dear CTRMA Board Members,

My name is ________________ and I work at/own/operate ____________ in the Westlake area. I/ My business depend/s on accessing MoPac from Bee Cave Rd. or Loop 360. While I  applaud your commitment to confronting the challenges of growth in the Austin Metro Area the current design makes the lives of residents, employees, and business owners using either artery significantly worse. I’m primarily concerned by the following:

1. Communities using either Bee Cave Rd. or Loop 360 will lose access to Northbound MoPac express lanes, the entrance near 15th street will be eliminated, leading to dangerous gridlock on the Cesar Chavez loop around at Austin High.
2. The current access to Bee Cave Rd. from Southbound MoPac express lanes will be eliminated.
3. The exit to Cesar Chavez from the express lane and the entrance to regular Northbound MoPac from Bee Cave Rd. overlap, forcing drivers to crisscross in a dangerous bottleneck.
4. Exiting to Bee Cave Rd. from regular Southbound MoPac lanes requires drivers to crisscross with drivers entering the express lane, creating a dangerous bottleneck.
5. Additional expensive, imposing infrastructure in the 360 to Cesar Chavez corridor provides no benefit to the communities it directly impacts.

Consequently, the I request that the portions of the expressway between Loop 360 and Cesar Chavez be redesigned. Impacts on those coming from the West or East must be accounted for. Specifically, I request that:

1. Drivers entering MoPac from Loop 360 should have access to the Northbound express lane. TXDOT is spending over $200 million dollars over the next fifteen years to improve traffic flow along the corridor. It would be an absolute shame to execute on the current design, tying a gordian knot at the 360/Mopac intersection, when we have the chance right now to instead fix the intersection into the distant future.
2. Access to and from Bee Cave Rd. from regular MoPac lanes must not require merging with express lane users.
3. Travelers going South on the express lanes should still be able exit to Bee Cave Rd. rather than having to exit the express lanes south of Bee Cave Rd., then travel down the frontage road, and then use 360.  
4. The current Northbound entrance point to the express lanes near 15^th Street should not be replaced with an exit. Express lane drivers can exit to regular lanes at Cesar Chavez and still easily access Enfield Rd. They do not need an additional exit near 15^th Street.

Doing this would greatly alleviate risks to Austin High, improve rather than impede traffic flow from 360 to MoPac North, preserve the safety of drivers using Bee Cave Rd., and provide benefits to the entire community which will bear the brunt of construction delays, imposing infrastructure, and road noise.

Sincerely,