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Proposed Mopac South Expansion
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The MoPac Expressway south of Cesar Chavez Street is a vital artery for Austin commuters and neighbors, as well as visitors to our region. This corridor provides a critical link to downtown Austin and other major highways such as US 290 and Loop 360/Capital of Texas Highway, and it provides access to neighborhoods, schools, businesses, parks and trails, recreational centers and commercial areas. Consistently ranked as one of the most congested roadways in Texas, it attracts up to 200,000 cars and trucks per day. Over time, expanding population as well as residential, retail and commercial development in the corridor, has led to increased traffic congestion. This negatively impacts mobility and quality of life for the traveling public and adjacent neighborhoods.
In 2013, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) initiated an Environmental Study of the MoPac corridor from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane to determine the best alternatives for improving mobility and safety.
The Westlake Chamber of Commerce Position
Dear Westlake Chamber Members,
I am writing to inform you about the final design for the South MoPac express lanes expansion and its significant impact on our community. Unfortunately, the proposed changes create substantial challenges for our business members and residents accessing MoPac from either the east or west via Bee Cave Road or Loop 360.
A key challenge for our business community is transportation, particularly the difficulty employees face in accessing the Westlake area. The roads are often heavily congested, leading to long and frustrating commutes, and the cost of travel adds an additional burden. These factors make it increasingly difficult for businesses to attract and retain talent in our community.
While we applaud efforts to improve MoPac, if this specific project moves forward as currently designed, it will reduce access to the Westlake area, worsen congestion at Bee Caves Rd/MoPac, and compromise safety in critical areas. Below is a summary of our primary concerns:
1. Loss of Northbound MoPac Express Lane Access:
- The current northbound entrance near 15th Street will be eliminated.
- Communities using Bee Cave Road or Loop 360 will lose direct access to the northbound MoPac express lanes. This will require traveling south to Southwest Parkway just to head north, or navigating the congested Cesar Chavez loop near Austin High School.
2. Restricted Access to Bee Cave Road:
- Southbound MoPac express lanes will no longer provide access to Bee Cave Road.
3. Dangerous Overlapping Exits and Entrances:
- The exit to Cesar Chavez from the express lanes and the entrance to MoPac North from Bee Cave Road overlap, creating a dangerous bottleneck where drivers must crisscross.
4. Southbound Bottlenecks on Regular Lanes:
- Drivers exiting to Bee Cave Road from the regular southbound MoPac lanes must crisscross with those entering the southbound express lane, further exacerbating bottlenecks and safety concerns.
5. Unnecessary Infrastructure Without Community Benefits:
- Additional expensive and imposing infrastructure between Loop 360 and Cesar Chavez provides no tangible benefits to the communities directly impacted.
How You Can Help:
1. Submit your comments to Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority by December 29th.
Email CTRMA board members and tell them to reconsider the design. Prioritize solutions that enhance access, safety and transportation efficiency to the Westlake community. For your convenience, use this TEMPLATE.
- Email the CTRMA Board of Directors and mopacsouth@ctrma.org:
- Bobby Jenkins (Board Chair): bjenkins@ctrma.org
- Nikelle Meade: nmeade@ctrma.org
- David Singleton: dsingleton@ctrma.org
- David Armbrust: darmbrust@ctrma.org
- Mike Doss: mdoss@ctrma.org
- Heather Gaddes: hgaddes@ctrma.org
- Ben Thompson: bthompson@ctrma.org
We need your voice to ensure that any changes to MoPac South genuinely enhance transportation operations without reducing access or compromising safety. Let’s work together to advocate for a better solution for our community.
Thank you for your attention and action on this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Cathy Hoover
Chief Executive Officer
Westlake Chamber of Commerce
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To Learn More About the Project
- Visit CTRMA South Mopac Project here: https://www.mopacsouth.com/about/
- Visit City of Rollingwood responses here: https://www.rollingwoodtx.gov/citycouncil/page/proposed-mopac-south-expansion-city-council-position
- For the full Project Study and feedback submission, visit: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e3c28bf66389442ab942075eea02e66c