TxDOT gives Burnet County transportation green light

by Raymond V. Whelan • Daily Tribune Staff

MARBLE FALLS - Burnet County officials continue to roll down the road on their ambitious mission to develop a comprehensive transportation plan that could cover much of the Highland Lakes.

“This will be a beginning for a lot of our communities, and we are all working together to make it happen,” County Judge Donna Klaeger said Wednesday during a special session on transportation issues held by the Burnet County Commissioners Court.

During the session held in the Marble Falls City Council Chambers, Ed Collins from the Texas Department of Transportation said TxDOT will fund $500,000 to support county officials as they produce a new plan to achieve several transportation goals, including improved traffic safety, reduced vehicle congestion and “an efficient and appropriate thoroughfare system to meet existing and future needs.”

The three-phase plan would take about 24 months to implement, said Collins, the TxDOT director of advanced transportation planning for the Austin district.

“This will be a county-led process,” he added. “We are here to help provide technical assistance and whatever level of detail you will need.”

TxDOT hopes to hire an experienced consultant by mid-November to assist county officials working on the transportation plan, Collins said. Also, the Capital Area Council of Governments and the Capital Area Regional Transportation Planning Organization will provide the county with expertise, oversight and relevant information.

No action was taken during the meeting, which included Precinct 1 Commissioner Bill Neve, Precinct 2 Commissioner Russell Graeter, Precinct 3 Commissioner Ronny Hibler and Precinct 4 Commissioner Joe Don Dockery, as well as Marble Falls City Councilman Brian Shirley, Marble Falls City Manager George Russell and several other officials and residents from Burnet, Cottonwood Shores and Granite Shoals.

The commissioners said TxDOT has given them a green light to form a steering committee of elected officials and residents and begin Phase I of the transportation project, which will call for data collection and motivating public involvement.

“We need to start making some decisions to kick off the plan,” Klaeger said. “By the end of the year, I hope people can come in and start talking about specific issues.”

Commissioners plan to hold future transportation meetings at different locations around the county to get community input, the judge added.

Phase 2 of the plan will concentrate on land-use forecasts, traffic projections, travel demand modeling, needs analysis, scenario planning. Phase 3 will focus on project prioritization, financial planning and final adoption.

Through each phase of the plan, population estimates, traffic counts and trends and “community values” will help officials determine what the county needs to improve its transportation system, Collins said.

Also while developing the county transportation plan, officials ought to have an opportunity to identify mitigation projects or other concerns, Klaeger said.

“It is extremely exciting that this area has got to this particular point,” Russell said, adding he has already collected Marble Falls traffic data for nearly three years.

The next commissioners court special session on transportation is slated for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 17 in Burnet at the Burnet Community Center, 303 E. Jackson St.

On a related note, TXDOT will hold an open house 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at Marble Falls High School auditorium, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls, to answer questions about the replacement of the existing U.S. 281 bridge over the Colorado River in Marble Falls. For questions or special needs prior to the meeting, call Shawn Weeks at (512) 715-5700.

raymond@thepicayune.com

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TxDOT gives Burnet County
transportation green light