Council hears updates on Keller‑Haslet road work, park drainage and Blue Mound traffic plans

City staff updated the Haslet City Council on progress and next steps for several transportation and park projects, including the near‑completion of Keller‑Haslet Road work, an extension of Haslet Parkway just east of Legacy School and a drainage and crossing replacement at 643 Park.

Staff member (Speaker 1) said the Keller‑Haslet Road work is approaching completion and that a ribbon cutting was listed earlier on the city agenda for May 2. The staff member said the final work on the roadway is awaiting a Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) signal study at the Keller‑Haslet/F.M. 156 intersection: "But we're just waiting on the signal study by TxDOT on that." The staff member added that the full signal decision will determine when crews can finish the remaining road work and close an access to Main Street.

The council also heard details about a park project at 643 Park. Staff member (Speaker 1) said the scope includes a replacement creek crossing that will use large box culverts and a drainage collector to route water away from the trail, plus a pavilion and two covered park benches near the playground. "There's a project that's gonna address all those. It's gonna be a bridge that looks very similar to what's on the, East Crossing and then a a drain collector that's gonna route the water away from the underneath the bridge," the staff member said. Bids have been received and engineering was vetting references; staff anticipated awarding that contract at the next council meeting.

Separately, staff described progress on Haslet Parkway. A speaker identified as Staff member (Speaker 3) said concrete has been poured on a stretch of Haslet Parkway from the current end at the intermodal area to just east of Legacy School, and that the pavement does not yet reach F.M. 156 or Schoolhouse Road. The same speaker noted the contractor Zachary had remobilized to complete cleanup and median work up to what the plans call Station 69.

Transcript remarks about the contractor relationship were inconsistent. Resident (Speaker 5) said, "Techstars buying buying Zachary out and terminating the contract." Staff member (Speaker 1) said, "Yeah. They just, they terminated that contract," and later that Zachary would complete the work "just to the east boundary of the school." The council did not record a formal contract action in the discussion excerpted in the transcript.

Traffic congestion on Blue Mound received sustained attention from council members and residents. A resident suggested creating a long right‑turn acceleration lane at the F.M. 156/Blue Mound intersections to allow queueing of turning vehicles; Staff member (Speaker 1) said traffic engineers have drawn plans that include right‑turn and acceleration lanes. The transcript records an estimate for a full widening project for Blue Mound between F.M. 156 and Harmon Road at roughly $50–55 million: "It's about a 55,000,000 project," a speaker said. Staff cautioned that Blue Mound will remain a two‑lane road in the near term and that intersection improvements, not full widening, are the most feasible immediate measures.

Speakers described peak congestion as an afternoon commute issue: one resident said the primary stress period is "from like 03:00 in the afternoon to 06:00." The council discussed the possibility that growth and nearby development are contributing to the backups; a staff speaker said conversations are ongoing with property owners and developers about mitigation and potential cost participation for improvements.

On development, Staff member (Speaker 3) briefly told the council that a development application for a 23‑acre tract for an RL trucking company at Westport, east of Harmon Road, will soon come before the council.

The presiding officer (Speaker 2) closed the item by directing staff to place further discussion of Blue Mound traffic and related proposals on a future agenda.

No formal votes or ordinance adoptions are recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.