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TxDOT plans nighttime work and signal timing study on Highway 71; city presses for data on Serene Hills intersection
Summary
TxDOT told Lakeway council Aug. 18 that it has begun nighttime work for a Highway 71 safety project and will conduct a corridor signal timing study; the agency said a detection device at the Serene Hills intersection was troubleshooted but likely needs replacement.
The city’s area engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation told Lakeway City Council on Aug. 18 that TxDOT has begun construction work on a State Highway 71 safety project and is also conducting a corridor signal/timing study.
South Travis area engineer Orlando Villegas said crews set barricades and began night work to restrict certain left‑turn movements along SH‑71; lane closures are scheduled at night between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., and TxDOT expects project completion in early 2026 for the listed contract elements. The agency also reported the schematic for the RM 620/620 project (06/20 project) is about 90% complete, and a fiscal year 2029 letting date remains scheduled.
Villegas acknowledged recurring complaints about the SH‑71/Serene Hills intersection and said TxDOT’s traffic team had implemented short‑term changes earlier in the month and troubleshooted detection equipment. He said the vendor is working on a longer‑term replacement. Councilmembers pressed for supporting data underlying the safety decision at the Lomans/620 right‑turn‑only change and asked TxDOT to provide crash and turning‑movement metrics to justify restrictions.
TxDOT said it will begin a corridor timing study once schools are fully back in session; data collection will occur during established school hours and the study should inform timing recalibration along the corridor. Villegas also confirmed local entities’ ability to operate signals: he said the City of Bee Cave will control the Bee Cave‑area signals and that TxDOT expects the city to operate them after turnover.
Resident Scott Foster told council he files videos of malfunctioning signals and urged TxDOT to use recorded vehicle counts already commercially available rather than starting a new study for basic volume data.
Ending — TxDOT committed to follow up with requested crash and timing data and to provide updates on the vendor timeline for detection replacement; councilmembers said they want more consistent, documented answers as the safety work proceeds.
