Bee Cave council reviews three alignments to relieve 71/Hamilton Pool congestion; school safety emerges as top concern

Bee Cave City Council on Oct. 14 heard a presentation and held an extended discussion of draft updates to the city's thoroughfare plan focused on connections near U.S. 71, Hamilton Pool Road and the area in front of the Galleria. The Friese Nichols consultant team presented three alignment options designed to shift traffic off the over-capacity 71/Hamilton Pool Road intersection and to provide alternate east'west connections.

The presentation described constraints that include an extensive floodplain and water-quality buffers near Hamilton Pool Road, private parcels and county-owned property. Mallory, a consultant with Friese Nichols, said the materials shown were "very preliminary" and that the team still needs to coordinate with TxDOT and other stakeholders and continue public outreach. She added the city could amend the thoroughfare plan later as conditions change.

Why this matters: Traffic volumes at the 71/Hamilton Pool corridor have continued to rise, the consultants said, and the existing thoroughfare alignment could leave the intersection saturated as regional growth continues. Any new alignment will have environmental and permitting implications if it crosses the floodplain; consultants warned that floodplain crossings trigger additional environmental review, federal permitting issues and, potentially,…