Board hears staff recommendation for $1.25M Bell Boulevard corridor study

Randy Skinner, assistant director of engineering and capital projects, presented a staff recommendation to fund a Bell Boulevard corridor study and said, “This is a staff, recommendation to move forward with the Bell Boulevard 0.25 study.”

Skinner said the study would analyze the full Bell Boulevard corridor within Cedar Park — a major arterial designated on the TxDOT system — to assess current and forecasted traffic demand, travel-time reliability, surrounding land uses, sidewalk and shared-use path gaps, and safety improvements such as medians and lighting. He told the board the staff estimate to implement the study is $1,250,000 and that the study will coordinate with the cities of Austin and Leander and look for funding opportunities to deliver identified improvements.

Board members pressed staff about pedestrian crossings by the library, whether driveways could be consolidated to improve traffic flow, and whether the study would include emerging traffic technologies. Skinner said pedestrian safety features — including safe crosswalks and shared-use path connectivity — would be included and that staff will coordinate with the city’s public works group as well as ongoing signal/connectivity grants.