Alternative Ways t Imprve Traffic n Lp 360 Paul Schumann 1 February 13, 2015 Intrductin "Lp 360 prvides primary access t far west Austin, acting as a thrughfare fr residents and as a cmmuter rute fr thse living and wrking alng the highway and thse passing thrugh. It prvides access t a majr Lake Austin bat ramp as well as Travis Cunty greenbelts. The scenic highway is als a ppular recreatinal bike rute. In 2013, Lp 360 was the 64th mst cngested rad in Texas with ver 141,000 annual hurs f delay per mile. The mst recent traffic data shws the mst heavily traveled pint near suth MPac averaged nearly 75,000 cars per day. A crridr imprvement study is currently underway t identify prblems and ptential shrt and lngterm slutins fr Lp 360 frm US 290/SH 71 t MPac (Lp 1)." 2 TxDOT is seeking input frm cncerned citizens n hw they wuld like t see Lp 360 imprved. This dcument is the results f sme private discussins with members f Lst Creek, the discussin held by TxDOT in Lst Creek n February 8, 2015 3 and an infrmal survey f residents f Lst Creek started n February 5, 2015 using Lst Creek Next Dr 4. Lst Creek has a unique relatinship with Lp 360. Lst Creek has 1,250 hmes and Lst Creek Blvd. is acting as a crridr fr traffic frm suthwest Austin. In additin, 1.3M square feet f ffice space, tw elementary schls and a high schl exists n Lp 360 frm Las Cimas Blvd. t Westbank Drive. All f the traffic frm these facilities ges thrugh the intersectin f Lst Creek Blvd. and Lp 360. Mrever, 1 With help frm Nancy Naeve and Barbara Schumann (Lst Creek Residents) 2http://www.txdt.gv/ /prjects/studies/austin/lp-360.html 3 TxDOT Meeting in Lst Creek, Sunday, Feb 8, 7pm, 360 Crridr Imprvement Study under way. Bruce Byrn is the Public Invlvement Lead and is scheduled t present and answer questins. This is pen t ALL Lst Creek residents and crdinated by the LCNA. Link t article here 4 https://lstcreektx.nextdr.cm 1
the additin f 370,000 square feet f ffice space has been prpsed fr the Marshall Tract that frnts n Lst Creek Blvd. Office Buildings and Schls Near Lst Creek Blvd. And Lp 360 2
Traffic Patterns and Cunts Prpsed PUD Thrugh Traffic Patterns 3
Srt Term Suggestins As we dn t have a statistically significant sample, it s nt pssible t priritize these suggestins. I placed them in the rder that made sense t me. The qutatins are frm the survey r private meetings. Limit develpment until radway is imprved This was dne in 1985 5 Put a mratrium n multi-tenant develpment, bth cmmercial and residential. This will f curse never happen. Quit issuing all these building permits fr multi-stry htels, 7-t-8 stry ffice buildings and parking garages that will nw dump thusands f additinal cars nt Lp 360 at peak times, and d that mratrium at least until the city and TxDOT figure ut hw t better manage the radway mess that's been created thrugh this building frenzy. Any fix that nw ccurs will take years and if the traffic lks bad nw, it'll be hrrible with rad cnstructin. Prvide a mechanism fr TxDOT t apprve develpments that add traffic t Lp 360. Prvide service r tls t enable estimatin f traffic impacts f new develpment Add frntage rad in high density develpment areas (where pssible): The idea is t create lcal traffic ff f Lp 360 and eliminate sme cuts bring traffic frm the ffice buildings t a lcatin n Lp 360 with a light. Cnnecting radways within nt cnnected ffice develpments wuld als help. Add intercnnecting rads within clustered ffice r cmmercial buildings and eliminate sme access cuts t 360. Imprve internal radways in high density ffice areas t reduce number f accesses t Lp 360. 5Lp 360 mratrium apprved, Cuncil plans t revamp radway rdinances, Kathy Sargent, May 29, 1985, Austin American Statesman 4
Example f Ways fr Internal Cnnectins r Frntage Rad Add lng right and left turn nly lanes at every cut and intersectin Create, lengthen and/r widen right turn and left turn lanes. Make it easier fr cmmuters t get ut f the main lanes and int their turn lanes earlier. Extend the right turn lane n east bund 360 at MPac Make all traffic lights dynamically ptimized fr traffic flw Dynamic ptimizatin f traffic flw (thrugh and crss) thrugh traffic cntrl lights. Lights at crss rads need t be clsely adapted t times f the day and night as traffic flw changes. Sync the lights is a great start...they admitted frm the last debacle that wuld be the last thing they wuld d nt the 1st... Synchrnize stp lights TIME THE LIGHTS. It's pssible, but it seems like TxDOT and ther planners dn't want t d this because they'd rather d giant cnstructin prjects. Timing the lights must include the intersectin f 360 and 183 and further nrth all the way t 360 and Mpac Nrth (past the Lexus dealership). Thse lights create traffic n 360 just like the lights at 360 & mpac suth (by the mall) d. Imprve the terminus (183 and Lp 1) 5
Majr verhaul f intersectin f Lp 360 and Mpac. Majr verall f intersectin f Lp 360 and 183. Fix the MPac and 360 intersectin near the mall. The wrst intersectin in Austin and is respnsible fr a huge amunt f the traffic prblems n 360. My view is suthbund evening traffic backs up t Westbank because there is a bttle neck at 360 and MPac and beynd. During this time f day it is bvius that 360 is perating well belw it's capacity, s adding capacity and lanes r changing light timings will d little t imprve that particular situatin. The same is true fr the nrthbund traffic further up tward Davenprt. The prper slutin seems t be t imprve the capacity at the 360x183 and 360xMPac intersectins. Fr example, adding lanes t 360 starting at Walsh Tarltn and ging acrss MPac might help. The Bee Caves Rd and 2222 ff ramps may require additinal capacity as well. Prvide analysis r means f analysis f prpsed develpment n traffic cngestin t neighbrhds Imprve r add pedestrian crssings Add pedestrian crssing at Lst Creek Blvd. (tunnel r verpass) Imprve pedestrian crssing at Las Cimas Blvd. A pedestrian cnnectin UNDER 360 frm Lst Creek t Frest Trail and Valley View schls. Add sidewalks n Lp 360 in high density ffice/cmmercial clusters Add pedestrian crssing at Frest trail and at the HEB shpping center. Reduce expectatins Change the name. 360 is nt a highway and certainly nt a lp. Thse names create a false expectatin and attract traffic frm cnfused visitrs. It s a street. Call it such. Change cmmute times Everyne that can needs t adjust their schedule s they are nt n 360 (and Mpac) during rush hur. 90% f the time, it flws perfectly. S g t wrk early and get ff early if yu can. Or if yu are like me g t wrk at 9:30 when 360 is back t being beautiful. Lng Term Suggestins Add exchanges at all majr intersectins Add verpasses at all majr intersectins (ne at a time) 6
Build underpasses at high traffic intersectins such as Lst Creek Bulevard, Westlake Dr. and Spicewd Springs Rad. Find a way t imprve Curtyard Drive intersectin. I think we need t prtect the scenic radway feel and be cnscius f hw a majr freeway separates neighbrhds. That said I wuld like t see underpasses at crssrads t eliminate traffic light stps n 360. This wuld be a painful and expensive chice but yield a radway that wuld imprve traffic flw, maintain that scenic radway feel and keep neighbrhds mre cnnected. I lived in Dallas when they tk nrth central belw grade arund the SMU area f twn. I was very impressed with the effect n my sense f neighbrhd due t the visual cnnectin with the area n the ppsing side f the highway and the ease when traveling t the ther side since the crssrads were abve the freeway. That said I als ppse increasing the number f lanes as we wuld be turning a beautiful radway int massive cncrete freeway and destrying the great experience f 360. Add elevated express lanes in center with access limited t majr intersectins (183, 2222, 2244, MOPAC) Add lanes Add lanes Expand Bridge Add AUTOMOBILE lanes Nthing shrt f widening 360 t 3 (and then 4) lanes will help. All ther "imprvements" are shrt-sighted and ill-fated. Imprve r add ther nrth-suth rutes Anther Nrth Suth Bypass (620?) Fix MPac t get mre cars there and fewer n 360 Mass transit (nly makes sense when spkes exist t cnnect t city center) Light Rail when rest f city has it. (Integrated, cmprehensive light rail system) Cnvert t expressway Expressway (last resrt) The nly way t make real imprvements t traffic is t increase thrughput and the nly realistic way t d that is t make 360 a freeway. Of curse this will never happen, and even in the remte pssibility that it culd, these days the nly way we can build a freeway is t charge a tll. 7
Paul Schumann paschumann2009@gmail.cm 512.327.5449 Lp 360 Issues (Facebk Page): https://www.facebk.cm/pages/lp-360- Issues/322112161136138 Marshall Tract Develpment (blg): http://marshalltract.blgspt.cm/ 8