If frontage roads are made one way on May 5th as planned, I can almost guarantee mayhem and accidents on I-35 both North and South at commute times. The 4-way bridge project at Windy Hill Road NEEDS to be completed before the lane changes are made.
The comment made by TxDOT that this change “will tack about 5 - 10 additional minutes onto their commute” is obviously by a person who does not live here and has no idea of the traffic nightmare that already exists. The backup on the 217 exit already reaches I-35 on heavy truck, traffic days. The added time to commuters taking this exit will be 10 to 15 minutes just to reach the two lane bridge to cross over. TxDOT’s estimates are based on traffic patterns on a Saturday or Sunday or late morning or early afternoon.
The reality is, no one has taken the time to observe this nightmare for themselves during peak commute times. The decision to make this change before the Dry Hole Drive/Windy Hill Road overpass is complete is ill advised as evidenced by the lack of understanding of the commute hours traffic patterns.
I’ve complained in the past about the ridiculous backups in this area. Auto traffic already overwhelms the bridge most mornings and evenings. When truck and school bus traffic are added, everything comes to a standstill.
Most of the people making these decisions cannot possibly visualize the 3 to 5 minutes it can take one inexperienced 18-wheel driver to turn from the Northbound frontage road and get lined up to get safely onto that skinny overpass. Even the experienced drivers have trouble because auto drivers don’t leave enough room for the truck to make the turn. Then, everyone has to back up, if they have room, or if they’re paying attention. Now, try to imagine these 18-wheelers attempting to cross that small bridge one after another. There’s 10 to 15 minutes added just to cross the bridge with only three 18 wheelers forcing their way through. There are a lot more than three rigs trying to cross this bridge at one time throughout the week at peak hours.
I hope this makes the picture more clear, to the Austin district office of TxDot or the TxDOT, of the necessity to postpone the date of the two-way traffic switch-over, between FM2001 and this overpass, until after the new, 4 lane overpass is complete.
Larry Pope
Amberwood Area Resident
