Kyle City Council considers new roundabout

KYLE — Kyle City Council members discussed the possibility of a roundabout or a traffic signal at the intersection of Dacy Lane at Bunton Creek Road at its Jan. 2 meeting.

This comes after council approved Task Order No. 4 to Cobb, Fendley & Associates to perform traffic signal warrant studies in September 2022. The study confirmed that the intersection called for a traffic signal, which was then followed up in February 2023 with an analysis to determine the feasibility of installing a roundabout or traffic signal.

Currently, the intersection is an all-way stop with four lanes on Dacy Lane and three lanes on Bunton Creek.

Leon Barba, city engineer, began by explaining levels of service, which range from A to F and dictate the general operating conditions. According to Barba, the intersection is currently a level F — forced or breakdown flow, unacceptable congestion, stop-and-go — during peak hours and the city strives to be level A — free flow, with low volumes and high speeds.

This construction project is not part of the road bond and would require a separate design contract to get started.

The traffic signal would be in the same location as the current stop signs and operate traditionally. The benefits, according to Barba, are fewer utility relocations, shorter construction schedule, lower costs and no additional right-of-way expected, while the impacts would be additional user delay time, higher speeds leading to more severe crashes and existing overhead electric lines. Barba noted that there would still be some difficulty with driveways due to the location.

The construction cost is estimated at $530,000 and would take approximately 18 months to complete.

The presentation stated that the benefits to roundabouts are fewer conflict points, lower maintenance costs and speed reduction; it would require extensive changes to the current roadways, drainage and utilities, as well as additional right-of-way acquisition. Council members were shown a map with the possible design of a roundabout that displayed the numerous modifications that were previously mentioned, specifically citing existing driveways, including the Bread Basket and Gemstone Palace.

The roundabout would consist of multiple yield signs and a slip lane east of Philomena Drive. This means that the drivers who are headed west toward Bunton Creek Road do not have to enter the roundabout to get to their destination. The same is true for those turning right from Bunton Creek Road to Dacy Lane and driving straight through Bunton Creek Road toward Lehman Road.

Construction costs of the roundabout are significantly more than the traffic signal at $5.2 million, more than nine times the cost of the traffic signal, and it would take an estimated 32 months to complete, due to right-of-way acquisition and utility relocations.

The analysis predicted that the roundabout would continue at level A from 2022 to at least 2028 if constructed, while the traffic signal would fall at a Level B and, eventually in 2028, level C. This research leads to a recommendation for the roundabout from Cobb, Fendley & Associates.

Discussion

Council member Daniela Parsley began by stating that the “stop signs right now [are] the worst thing ever, so I don’t know how a traffic signal may help with any of that.” At the same time, she did not agree with the price of the roundabout.

“That intersection overall is awful and unless we tear everything down and build bigger roads, we’re just patching it up,” said Parsley.

Mayor Travis Mitchell added that he felt the north slip lane that would flow southbound from Dacy Lane to Bunton Creek was redundant and, therefore, could be removed and possibly lessen construction costs: “It’s a fast and cheap or it’s a more expensive [and] longer, but correct, kind of conversation.”

Council member Robert Rizo was also hesitant on the northern slip lane due to the possibility of a bottleneck occurring at the intersection when headed toward the light. He suggested having two lanes merge prior to the roundabout rather than after.

Members of the council commented on how the lack of space between the traffic signal at Philomena and the potential roundabout could pose issues. Council member Michael Tobias stated that it seems as though it would be difficult to maintain a flow, especially because he has timed the light and it is approximately 45 seconds.

Rizo agreed that the light could cause continuous backup, citing Center Street in downtown as an example. Because of this, he posed the question whether the city could change the timing of the lights to let more traffic flow out of the roundabout.

Landowner Derek Pampe, had previously signed up for public comment on this item.

“My partners and I, we own that property that this proposed roundabout pretty much sits [on],” said Pampe. “I’d like it noted that we were not contacted about this proposed project, but thankfully Will [Atkinson, director of planning] gave us a quick heads up just a couple days ago … I do think, in this particular case, this preferred alternative of a roundabout I think is a little misguided. I think we went through the numbers and the roundabout is 10 times the cost of the traffic signal … I think it’s wiser that we stretch our transportation dollars to nine more areas that need work rather than focusing on one.”

Pampe also stated that the property is slated for a future mixed-use development and the roundabout would take away from this. According to Pampe, the roundabout would take away “an acre and a quarter of future commercial, retail, office [and] multifamily.” He said that the construction would take away jobs and amenities to those living in the area and, therefore, he supports the traffic signal.

“I don’t think that sacrificing some prime land to get the right piece of infrastructure in, so that the rest of the prime land can develop in such a way that the intersection can handle the intensive use, is in any way to be looked as shortsighted. I think that’s an appropriate mentality to have, frankly,” Mitchell stated, focusing on achieving a level A traffic flow.

“I just want to make a general comment on cost because it’s come up a couple times tonight,” said council member Bear Heiser. “Nearly everyone is in agreement that the city historically is under invested in infrastructure development and we have opportunities like these to try to solve some of the problems that we face now. Problems that, if we don’t face, if we don’t address now, are only going to get significantly worse down the road.”

Ultimately, the council opted to wait and table the item until information and data can be conducted to provide a more informed decision.

This item will come before the council at a future meeting. To listen to the discussion, visit bit.ly/3tA9070.