New tollway forces IH 35 ramps to close permanently

New tollway forces IH 35 ramps to close permanently

Written by Mandy Hobby Tuesday, 07 March 2006

Texas Department of Transportation’s news of no compromise strikes controversy with business owners and residents

The Texas Department of Transportation will be permanently closing exit 252A of IH 35, McNeil Road, along with three other ramps, at the end of this year because of limited space for weaving traffic that will occur when SH 45N is completed.

“I am not going to leave you with unrealistic expectations tonight,” TxDot engineer Bob Daigh told a room of 250 citizens in the Round Rock City Hall auditorium, Feb. 21. “The four ramps must be closed for safety reasons.”

The decision to close the ramps was made in 2002, but residents and businesses affected by the closings are only now learning of the proposed changes and hope to be able to strike a compromise with officials.

“We have got a problem and we need TxDot to help us fix this,” Anne Giddings, landowner and resident, said. “We want to keep it open and they are listening to us.”

Landowner Bob Edwards contacted Giddings in January after he discovered the closure in the notes of a city hearing held April 2002. They both then began going around to businesses and sending out e-mails to inform the community. Giddings said that only four of the 42 businesses knew about the closing.

Landowners like Giddings and Edwards are worried that their property value will decrease and businesses fear a decrease in sales.

Pluckers Wing Factory will be opening right off of the current McNeil exit March 20. Owner David Paul said that he might have changed his mind about moving to Round Rock if he knew of the closure ahead of time.

“We are a destination restaurant,” Paul said. “If people have to exit 251, that is a longer drive and we end up losing business over time.”

Giddings said that the City of Round Rock has been trying to fight the closure since the 2002 hearing.

“We are limited because TxDot will do what TxDot wants to do,” Tom Martin, Round Rock director of transportation, said. “We have been arguing with them for the past four years.”

In a meeting held at Outback Steakhouse, Feb. 8, more than 200 residents and 25 business owners asked questions and rallied support. The residents raised concerns about the amount of traffic the closing of these ramps would add to the 1325 and 620 exits going north off IH 35.

“The intersection at FM 1325 is already backed up,” Karen Felthauser, Round Rock West resident, said. “This [closure] is just going to make it worse.”

McNeil is not the only exit changing because of the tollway. The City of Round Rock is planning $10 million worth of improvements for the bridge at Hester’s Crossing. They will be widening the bridge to four lanes and adding a turnaround for southbound IH 35 travelers. The bridge will decrease to two lanes for 6-9 months while under construction. For more information, visit www.texastollways.com.

What landowners, businesses and officials are saying:

 

Bob Edwards

Landowner

“1325 is the only ramp until you reach the 620 exit. One can only imagine the kind of traffic there will be when it is already backed up now at 3:45.”

 

 

Terry Myers

Kaleidoscope Toys owner

“I am concerned about the widening of the bridge at Hester’s Crossing. They need to leave one lane open either way while constructing it so people can still get through.”

 

 

John Carter

Congressman, District 31

“I believe there is a way to solve the problem. I have sat in the same traffic that we are anticipating. There are a lot of regulations locked in stone and some issues on traffic can’t be resolved.”

 

 

Sean Greenberg

Co-Owner, Pluckers Wing Factory

“People are going to go where it is easiest to go. Retailers like myself pick locations for certain reasons and I would have definitely considered changing my location had I known about these ramp closures.”