Austin’s fifth tollroad will open this morning between 10:00 and 11:00 AM. Tolls will not be charged for the the month of May and only half-price in June. Starting in July, the toll for the full 7.4 mile length of the turnpike will be $1 for passenger cars with toll tags or $1.33 for those without.
For more information, visit http://www.sh45se.org.
Despite the delay in the scheduled opening of SH 45 SE, TXDOT says the ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for this afternoon at 2:00 PM is still on.
The actual opening of the road to drivers has been postponed by about a week due to the rainy weather, which prevented the road’s final striping.
For more information on SH 45 SE, see http://www.sh45se.org/.
It’s not an April Fool’s hoax… yesterday’s letter from TXDOT Austin District Engineer Bob Daigh announcing his retirement from TXDOT at the end of April is the real deal.
Daigh started at TXDOT in March 1988 as an engineer in the Georgetown Area Office, before becoming Austin District programming and contracts engineer in 1995. He then moved to the Texas Turnpike Authority, serving as deputy director and director of turnpike planning and development, where he was instrumental in developing the innovative financing that made the Central Texas Turnkpike Project (CTTP) possible. After assuming the position of Austin District Engineer in 2003, Daigh oversaw construction of the massive project and presided over the district’s efforts to leverage funding for additional toll projects. The success in bringing the region’s first toll roads to fruition and expanding major highways in the last decade is due in part to Daigh’s herculean efforts.
Daigh serves on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) transportation policy board and executive committee, the Combined Transportation, Emergency and Communications Center (CTECC) governing board, and the Central Texas Clean Air Force board.
Recognition of Daigh’s efforts include:
2003 - Unsung Hero award recognizing for his efforts on behalf of Central Texas transportation from CATC
2003 - Gibb Gilchrist award recognizing his outstanding service in highway engineering with TxDOT from Texas A & M University
2005 - Jack Griesenbeck Leadership in Regionalism Award from the Capital Area Council of Governments
Former Texas Turnpike Authority Chair and CATC founder Pete Winstead said, “Bob Daigh has been a very positive force at TXDOT for moving transportation and mobility projects forward. His can-do attitude produced great benefits for Central Texas and he will be missed.”
Executive Director Bruce Byron observed that Daigh “utilized the the region’s limited resources to the greatest advantage. He is among the hardest working and most selfless public servants I’ve ever known.”
TxDOT Austin District Engineer Bob Daigh to retire at the end of April
Daigh leaves behind $5 billion of new roads, few enemies
Pete Winstead, Bob Daigh, and Bruce Byron
The SH 29 Safety Task Force, formed to address safety and mobility issues and make recommendations for improvements on SH 29 from the Burnet County Line to DB Wood Road, presented their final report to Williamson County Commissioners on March 24.
Task Force members, which included emergency responders, school districts, local and state governmental entities, and planning personnel, reviewed construction documents, research, traffic and accident data research, made multiple project site visits, met with planning personnel from local agencies and individual property owners along the corridor, and reviewed information collected from open houses and e-mail sent to the County. They developed a list of 15 viable projects to improve safety and operational characteristics of SH 29, which were tiered in three priorities with an estimated total cost of $12.8 million ($5.9 million for high priority projects, $358,000 for medium priority projects, and $6.5 million for low-priority projects).
SH 29 Improvement Study
2009 SH 29 Safety and Improvements Study
Williamson County will hold open houses in each precinct to receive input on its updated long-range transportation plan. The Long-Range Transportation Plan focuses on what road and transit improvements should be built or improved over the next 25 years to help address expected growth in the County; it is this plan that guides future capital improvements.
Precinct open houses are from 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Mar 30 - Precinct 1 at the Rattan Creek Community Center, 7617 Elkhorn Mountain Trail, Austin
Mar 31 - Precinct 4 at the Taylor Public Library Meeting Room, 801 Vance Street, Taylor
Apr 6 - Precinct 2 at Pat Bryson Hall, 201 N. Brushy Street, Leander
Apr 7 - Precinct 3 at the Central Maintenance Facility, 3151 S. E. Inner Loop, Georgetown
The public input process will culminate with a county-wide open house on Thursday, April 16, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., in the Commissioners Courtroom in the Williamson County Courthouse, 710 S. Main Street, in Georgetown.
Capital Metro announced that the community celebration scheduled for March 28 has been cancelled amidst safety concerns raised by the Federal Railroad Administration due to alleged violations against rail contractor Veolia Transportation.
Capital Metro President/CEO Fred Gilliam said he has called for Veolia to replace its safety director and is bringing in rail experts to assist with startup operations adn safety implementation. Capital Metro staff will continue testing enhancements to the signal system.
Capital Metro will report on the status of the project by May 15.
Capital Metro cancels rail event; wants Veolia supervisor replaced
Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) Chair Bob Tesch has told Governor Rick Perry that he won’t seek reappointment. Perry appointed Tesch as head of the CTRMA Board in 2003 and re-appointed him in January 2007.
During Tesch’s tenure, the CTRMA constructed Highway 183A, which was completed in March 2007 on time and on budget, and obtained approval for another $1.5 billion in new tollroads. CTRMA officials say Tesch will remain until Perry appoints a replacement.
CATC awarded Tesch with its “Flying Tigers” Award in 2004 in recognition of his service as the Chair of the state’s first regional mobility authority.
CTRMA Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein has been appointed to the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Advisory Council.
TTI is one of the largest university-affiliated transportation research agencies in the U.S.. Its Advisory Council is comprised of a small group of high-level transportation professionals from across the state of Texas and from every sector of the transportation world. The Council provides advice on transportation issues and trends, and supports the institute’s research programs and initiatives.
Heiligenstein appointed to Texas Transportation Institute Advisory Council
Heiligenstein appointed to statewide transportation advisory council
A hearing for SB 855, the Texas Local Option Transportation Act, will held tomorrow, March 18 at 7:30 AM in E1.016 of the Capitol. The Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee is expected to reconvene at 2:00 pm.
This bill would authorize the Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and San Antonio areas to impose transportation taxes and fees (if approved by county voters) to fund mobility services and projects including passenger rail, transit, roads, and freight rail.
The 40-mile extension of SH 130 from Mustang Ridge to IH-10 in Seguin could be complete by November 2012 if all goes according to schedule. TXDOT Engineer Ben Engelhardt told the Seguin City Council on Mar 3 that TXDOT hopes to being construction within the next 60 days. Groundbreaking on the interchanges could begin in August.
The project, developed as a public-private partnership between TxDOT and the S.H. 130 Concession Co, will charge a toll of 12.5 cents per mile.