Funding for Lakeway Drive Bridge on CAMPO List: Public Comment on April 29

A new Lakeway Drive Bridge over Interstate 35 is one project being considered for funding by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. On April 29, CAMPO will take public comment on funding priorities for spending $29.2 million, which is the amount from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that CAMPO can allocate to transportation projects in the region.

The Lakeway Drive Bridge is one of 32 priority projects identified by the CAMPO Transportation Policy Board for possible funding with federal stimulus money. Not all of those projects will be chosen for funding.

The City of Georgetown already has spent $2.5 million on the Lakeway Drive Bridge for utility relocation and right-of-way acquisition. Another $8.9 million from CAMPO is being requested to replace the two-lane bridge with a modern five-lane bridge, including intersection safety improvements at the I-35 frontage roads.

In addition to $29.2 million in federal stimulus dollars that CAMPO will be able to allocate to transportation projects, the ARRA has already funded a number of transportation projects in the CAMPO region, including the widening of FM 1460 in Round Rock and the repaving of University Avenue in Georgetown. Those projects were chosen by the Transportation Commission, which oversees TXDOT, at their March 5 meeting.

The CAMPO community meeting on April 29 starts at 6 p.m. at the Cedar Park Public Library located at 550 Discovery Boulevard in Cedar Park. At the community meeting, CAMPO staff will have maps and handouts detailing the possible ARRA projects. They will accept public comments concerning the proposed projects at the meeting.

For details, go to the CAMPO website at www.campotexas.org or contact the City of Georgetown Planning Department at (512) 930-3575.