Traffic Travis | Funds Approved To Improve 290 W Traffic

Relief is on the way for drivers who fight traffic at the Y at Oak Hill in Southwest Austin. The Travis County Commissioners approved $1.5 million bond for road improvements on US 290 West on Tuesday.

Daniel Marquez says traffic is a nightmare.

"It is a headache, it really is," Marquez said.

It was Marquez's job to hold an advertisement sign near the US 290 and SH 71 intersection. He says slow traffic created uncomfortable moments.

"I would see the same person at a stop sign for two to three minutes at a time," Marquez said. "It's very exasperating."

Since 1982, Sandra Baldridge says the city and state have been trying to fix the congestion on US 290 west. Nearly 30 years later, that solution comes in the form of continuous flow intersections.

The Texas Dept of Transportation said drivers will get their own turn lanes before hitting the intersection.

Sandra Baldridge is the president of the Oak Hill Association of Neighborhoods and said this has been a long time coming.

"The wonderful thing about it is at least we're going to have something done out here. It's been an ongoing battle about doing something, doing nothing, all or nothing," Baldridge said.

But Baldridge points out, the fix will only last 7 to 10 years. What she wants in the long run is the creation of a three mile stretch of SH 45 to connect Mo-Pac with FM 1626. It's part of the Green Mobility Challenge where experts came up with a green design for the area around the Y.

"Once you're on it, you've only got one place to get off or one place to get on so you're going to get a whole lot of Development along that 3 mile stretch," Baldridge said. "And you're going to get traffic that's moving not traffic that's stalled with the engine running and the air conditioner running or the heat running."

TxDOT said a permanent solution comes at a price tag of $426 million, which is money they just do not have.

For now, Oak Hill residents will have to be satisfied with the temporary fix.

CR Thomas says that's just fine. Anything is better than what they have now.

"The mornings have just been horrible, holiday weekends, at the end of it, everybody coming back in, where ever they go, it's just been horrible," Thomas said.

And Marquez says he is glad he doesn't have to hold the sign anymore.

TxDOT said improvements will only be made at problem intersections from Joe Tanner lane to FM 1826.

Construction should be done by the end of next year.