BUDA — An update regarding the 2021 Bond Program projects was presented during the June 5 Buda City Council meeting, outlining both in-progress and completed projects with special focus on the W. Goforth Road design.
Blair Murski, senior project engineer, presented the update to council by beginning with a comprehensive list of completed projects and transitioning into discussing in-progress projects. After Murski’s presentation concluded, there was public comment regarding the W. Goforth Road designs.
The W. Goforth Road designs, which are currently at 30% completion, were brought into question by Glen Boatright, president and co-owner of Henderson Controls, due to the inclusion of roundabouts in the design drawings. Boatright urged council to consider removing the roundabouts from the design plans because of the problem it would cause for large trucks moving through the area.
“We have 18-wheelers — full size, 80,000 pounds — that come in and out of our business everyday,” said Boatright. “The 18-wheelers are going to rip those apart. They might be designed to have them go over it, but in a year when all of the concrete is all busted up … I just don’t see how they can manage it.”
A second public comment was heard from Chad Baldwin, a representative of Stream Realty Partners, later in the meeting. Baldwin’s testimony regarded the need for roundabouts and their impact on the commercial business area surrounding it.
“I am here today to go on the record regarding our opposition to the current design for the West Goforth Road improvement plan, specifically the punitive restriction of large truck traffic on the commercial section of roadway, between Stream Way and IH-35, and its corresponding negative impact to the operations and viability of our commercial project,” said Baldwin.
Baldwin urged the council to consider removing the roundabouts and implement other traffic calming measures in their place, just as Boatright did during his testimony. According to the later presentation, the Mobility Committee also brought up similar concerns surrounding the size of the roundabout at Streamway, as well as the necessity for a roundabout at Ashford Park Boulevard.
The W. Goforth Road designs were further discussed in the regular agenda, being presented by Jay Kennedy, WSB & Associates vice president. Kennedy began by discussing the current changes to the design plans, including the elimination of on-street parking, replacing raised medians with flush medians, the replacement of a 10-foot Shared Use Path with a six-foot sidewalk and more.
Additionally, Kennedy discussed the outcome of an open house that was held for the project on April 29. Both residents and business owners attended the open house to share their support and concerns for the project. Many of those concerns involved the width of the shared use paths.
“We had a range of feedback on the shared use paths,” Kennedy said. “We got everything from ‘Yeah, we love that there’s going to be sidewalks out here; we don’t have to walk on the road’, to ‘We don’t like them at all’ and then, in between.”
Many members of the public expressed both support for the safety enhancements that were proposed for the project and concerns about the project’s impact on private property, according to Kennedy. On the other hand, many business and commercial property owners were concerned about the roundabouts and their impact on large truck access.
“Having the roundabout at Stream Way does help alleviate the traffic speeds that go through there, if that’s removed, then it would be our recommendation to take a look at Bonita Vista Drive. There could be a mini roundabout or some other kind of traffic calming that could be looked at for that intersection,” said Kennedy in response to the concerns.
As for the Ashford Park Boulevard roundabout, Kennedy recommended looking for other traffic calming measures for this intersection, as well, if the roundabout was removed from the design.
Additionally, the W. Goforth Road project is expected to have an approximate funding shortfall of $6 million. Council member Evan Ture brought up his concerns about the costs of the roundabouts, as well as their functionality.
“That is part of my thoughts, is to remove that roundabout. Partially because of the cost, call it half a million dollars, and consider traffic calming measures,” said Ture about the Ashford roundabout. “We still want the traffic calming piece, trucks are going to use that part of West Goforth, so we want to take that into consideration, but let’s save some costs.”
Other council members echoed the same issues.
Mayor Lee Urbanovsky ended the discussion by reiterating the concerns of the council and public. Urbanovsky asked to see a new design plan that has alternative traffic calming measures in comparison to the roundabouts.
“I don’t want to say we’re trying to force roundabouts, but I’m really not opposed to them, not really in favor of them either way. I’m on the fence on them entirely,” said Urbanovsky. “So, I would be interested in a 60% design with no roundabout on the farthest east side and traffic calming measures in place of both of them potentially.”
After discussion on the W. Goforth Road concluded, council approved moving forward to 60% schematic design, contingent upon modifications, including removing the roundabouts at Ashford and Stream Way, instead replacing them with alternative traffic calming measures, 6-0. Council member Matt Smith was absent.
Buda City Council will next meet June 12.
