Local transportation officials are gearing up to gather the final round of public comments on the Parmer Lane Corridor study.
The project from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Texas Department of Transportation could bring various safety and mobility improvements along Parmer Lane from MoPac in Austin to Whitestone Boulevard in Cedar Park.
What you need to know
CAMPO’s Transportation Policy Board adopted 10 regional corridors to study and prepare for future multimodal transportation improvement projects in 2021, according to TxDOT.
The study will use public input to help the agencies more clearly define and identify feasible improvements to make on Parmer, CAMPO officials said. This process will include an analysis of previous plans and studies, current and projected traffic volumes, crash hotspots, environmental features, and other needs or concerns identified through public input.
The agencies will then use the information and recommendations gathered to complete additional environmental analysis before moving toward the design phase.
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Get involved
Officials will hold the in-person public hearing March 25 from 4-7 p.m. at the Rattan Creek Community Center where community members can submit comments.
A virtual public comment period will also open here March 25 and close April 27.
In-person attendees will be able to review hard copies of project materials, discuss the project with CAMPO and TxDOT officials and project consultants, and leave written comments, according to TxDOT. The virtual meeting will feature the same information through a self-guided virtual meeting room with prerecorded narration, and also allow online participants to provide comments.
What they’re saying
Hundreds of public comments have already been collected from two previous open houses held in 2023 and 2024.
Key takeaways from the open houses included:
Making bike and pedestrian improvements, such as wider shoulders, dedicated bike lanes and shared-use pathsMaking mobility and safety improvements, such as optimizing signal timing, adding turn lanes and reducing speeds at existing intersections and roadwaysPrioritizing multimodal public transportation options to connect residential and commercial areas and alleviate roadway trafficSome respondents also cited concerns with environmental impacts the project could have, including increased noise and air pollution.
In other news
Northwest Austin residents could also be impacted by the MoPac South project being proposed by TxDOT and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. The virtual public hearing for MoPac South’s draft environmental assessment is ongoing through May 3, and the in-person public hearing will be held March 24 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Bowie High School.