Fredericksburg (TX): preferred alignment of US 290 bypass announced

[MaxConcrete]

Talk and study of a bypass has been ongoing for a long time. Yesterday the recommended alignment was revealed.
Presentation with all preliminary options and recommended route
http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot/get-involved/aus/fredericksburg-relief-route/011420-displayboards.pdf

Recommended route
http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot/get-involved/aus/fredericksburg-relief-route/011420-preferred-option.pdf

Web site for yesterday's meeting (includes links above)
https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/austin/011420.html

I'm pleased to see the recommended alignment. It is a direct and efficient route, probably the best of all the options considered. This is the first time in a very long time that TxDOT has recommended the most direct and efficient route!

According to the main presentation, this is planned to be a limited-access facility. However, it would likely be constructed in phases. Construction is probably 5-10 years in the future, unless locals want it as soon as possible and TxDOT provides the funding.

[Bobby5280]

That's good news that TX DOT is pretty far along in planning a potential freeway bypass of Fredericksburg. Hopefully they'll have something similar in the works at Johnson City off the East. Johnson City will probably need something more along the lines of a 3/4 loop to serve both US-281 and US-290 traffic. Ultimately the US-290 corridor from Austin out West to I-10 is going to get far more busy. Establishing Interstate quality bypasses is the first step to build out what could be a larger Interstate corridor.

[Chris]

Is this a contentious issue? I'm surprised to see this kind of wording for an open house.



It looks like it could eventually built to be a controlled-access highway with a 70 mph speed limit and frontage roads, in other words: a freeway.

[Stephane Dumas]

I

That's good news that TX DOT is pretty far along in planning a potential freeway bypass of Fredericksburg. Hopefully they'll have something similar in the works at Johnson City off the East. Johnson City will probably need something more along the lines of a 3/4 loop to serve both US-281 and US-290 traffic. Ultimately the US-290 corridor from Austin out West to I-10 is going to get far more busy. Establishing Interstate quality bypasses is the first step to build out what could be a larger Interstate corridor.

I won't be surprised if it'll be a part of Corridor 38 aka Ports-to-Plains Corridor.

[The Ghostbuster]

In addition to this proposed bypass, does the Texas DOT have any plans for other improvements to the US 290 corridor(such as additional bypasses, expansion from two-to-four-lanes), either in the Fredericksburg-to-Austin corridor, or the Interstate 10-to-Fredericksburg corridor?

[Bobby5280]

In the Austin area there are plans to extend the US-290 freeway a couple miles farther West to just past the "Y" at Circle Drive. I don't know when they're supposed to start building the extension. Obviously it's going to be a longer term situation to build a freeway, toll road or some kind of interim solution out West to the US-281 corridor. But TX DOT definitely has to be planning something. Some of it would have to go on a new terrain path. I don't see US-290 getting upgraded on the existing alignment through Dripping Springs.

[ethanhopkin14]

In the Austin area there are plans to extend the US-290 freeway a couple miles farther West to just past the "Y" at Circle Drive. I don't know when they're supposed to start building the extension. Obviously it's going to be a longer term situation to build a freeway, toll road or some kind of interim solution out West to the US-281 corridor. But TX DOT definitely has to be planning something. Some of it would have to go on a new terrain path. I don't see US-290 getting upgraded on the existing alignment through Dripping Springs.

They were supposed to break ground this year.  We'll see about that.  I love this development.  Maybe the S-17/U.S. 290 Interstate I have been dreaming about for years might start becoming a reality.

[sparker]

I

That's good news that TX DOT is pretty far along in planning a potential freeway bypass of Fredericksburg. Hopefully they'll have something similar in the works at Johnson City off the East. Johnson City will probably need something more along the lines of a 3/4 loop to serve both US-281 and US-290 traffic. Ultimately the US-290 corridor from Austin out West to I-10 is going to get far more busy. Establishing Interstate quality bypasses is the first step to build out what could be a larger Interstate corridor.

I won't be surprised if it'll be a part of Corridor 38 aka Ports-to-Plains Corridor.

Doubtful; HPC #38's language is quite specific, notating a route from I-35 near Laredo up US 83 & 277 through Carrizo Springs, Del Rio, and San Angelo.  Having said this -- since TX interests have had quite a bit of success getting new HPC's inserted into both omnibus federal highway bills as well as yearly outlays, getting an E-W corridor on the books via US 290 from I-10 at 290's western end through Austin and thence east via either TX 71 or additional US 290 mileage might be the way to finally formalize the connector favored by many in this forum -- a "kissing cousin" to the HPC #84/I-14 concept to the north.  The trick is to find someone or some regional entity to push this forward from a simple concept to a legislatively binding -- perhaps an expanded version of the groups who have pushed the development of the Fredericksburg bypass.   

[armadillo speedbump]

The only bypass really needed for Johnson City is a southwest side cutoff for 290.  Normally 281 flows fine through there, a 281 bypass would save only a single minute on average.

Money doesn't grow on trees, so limited funds would be better spent on much needed 4-laning of the remaining 2 and 3-lane gaps on 281 between 290 and Spring Branch.  There always seems to be a truck/texter/clueless lollygagger clogging the choke points at below the speed limit, and enough opposing traffic that it can be almost impossible to safely pass.  4-laning would save a lot more time. 

Edit:  Looks like about 17 miles of 2 and 3-lane left to upgrade in that section.

[Bobby5280]

The only bypass really needed for Johnson City is a southwest side cutoff for 290.  Normally 281 flows fine through there, a 281 bypass would save only a single minute on average.

US-281 is turning into an important alternative North-South relief corridor for I-35. As rapidly growing areas like Austin continue to squeeze I-35 that will put more long distance traffic and commercial trucking traffic on US-281 thru Central Texas. Over the long run it is not going to be acceptable at all for all that traffic to just go lumbering through the middle of Johnson City. That's why that town needs a whole lot more than just some cut-off to the South.

It's not going to be long before US-281 from San Antonio to the US-290 junction in Johnson City has to be upgraded to a limited access freeway. A little farther North US-281 is a back door to the cluster of small cities around Fort Hood. Some military traffic from Fort Hood takes US-281 to Wichita Falls (Sheppard AFB) and Lawton (Fort Sill) to avoid the DFW metroplex. I'm sure a growing number of truckers are likely making the same choice.

I get it that funding is limited. OTOH, Texas is a rapidly growing state. I saw one estimate saying the state was adding more than 1000 new residents every day. That's more taxpayers, but also a greater burden on the roads. Most of the new, migratory population is settling in or near big cities, such as the Austin & San Antonio region -which is home to some of the most rapidly growing cities in the US. The Northeast US has a pretty high concentration of freeways and toll roads. Texas doesn't. Yet a whole lot of people from the Northeast states, as well as people fleeing the insane costs of California, are winding up in Texas. The Lone Star state is even sucking people out of Oklahoma. We're losing school teachers right and left thanks to the $#!+ pay they make here.

[debragga]

The only bypass really needed for Johnson City is a southwest side cutoff for 290.  Normally 281 flows fine through there, a 281 bypass would save only a single minute on average.

Money doesn't grow on trees, so limited funds would be better spent on much needed 4-laning of the remaining 2 and 3-lane gaps on 281 between 290 and Spring Branch.  There always seems to be a truck/texter/clueless lollygagger clogging the choke points at below the speed limit, and enough opposing traffic that it can be almost impossible to safely pass.  4-laning would save a lot more time. 

Edit:  Looks like about 17 miles of 2 and 3-lane left to upgrade in that section.

Those 2 and 3-lane sections in Blanco County are a nightmare, especially the parts with intersecting RM/FM roads, no shoulders or turn lanes, and a 70 (75?) speed limit.

[ethanhopkin14]

Any new developments?  I have been through Fredericksburg a lot lately and there are a lot of signs saying STOP THE BYPASS.  Seems local opposition is high.  For the life of me, I don't understand why people who live there want 18 wheelers squeezing through that quaint downtown area. 

[sparker]

Any new developments?  I have been through Fredericksburg a lot lately and there are a lot of signs saying STOP THE BYPASS.  Seems local opposition is high.  For the life of me, I don't understand why people who live there want 18 wheelers squeezing through that quaint downtown area. 

Simple small-town microeconomics.  Since the existing US 290 is right on the route of trucks to & from Austin and El Paso (as well as points beyond that), there's likely quite a bit of streetside business geared toward provisions for that traffic (restaurants, fuel, drug stores, convenience stores, etc.) that doesn't want (a) to see it go away or (b) have to move to the bypass -- if financially possible.  And with COVID19 invariably cutting into what business there is, there's probably at this point an air of desperation attached to that situation.  Stopping -- or at least delaying -- the bypass is probably seen as a step toward restoring some sense of normality.  And putting up with semis rolling down a street has likely already been internalized within the town.  Down the line, the chances are that some sort of US 290 bypass will be constructed -- but the most affected parties in town would prefer to see that particular can "kicked down the road" for as long as possible.

[ethanhopkin14]

Any new developments?  I have been through Fredericksburg a lot lately and there are a lot of signs saying STOP THE BYPASS.  Seems local opposition is high.  For the life of me, I don't understand why people who live there want 18 wheelers squeezing through that quaint downtown area. 

Simple small-town microeconomics.  Since the existing US 290 is right on the route of trucks to & from Austin and El Paso (as well as points beyond that), there's likely quite a bit of streetside business geared toward provisions for that traffic (restaurants, fuel, drug stores, convenience stores, etc.) that doesn't want (a) to see it go away or (b) have to move to the bypass -- if financially possible.  And with COVID19 invariably cutting into what business there is, there's probably at this point an air of desperation attached to that situation.  Stopping -- or at least delaying -- the bypass is probably seen as a step toward restoring some sense of normality.  And putting up with semis rolling down a street has likely already been internalized within the town.  Down the line, the chances are that some sort of US 290 bypass will be constructed -- but the most affected parties in town would prefer to see that particular can "kicked down the road" for as long as possible.

I agree with everything you said.  I agree with that being the mentality of the minions.  That being said, what boggles my mind is the notion of bypassing a town killing a town.  I have always been a skeptic on the subject that a town bypass kills a town.  Pixar even made a movie about it!!  When the interstates were built and towns got bypasses or just had a freeway instead of a surface main street, yes, some towns became a shell of what they once were.  Some towns I think flourished.  I immediately think of Lordsburg, New Mexico and Van Horn, Texas.  It helps that they seem to be a navigational beacon for long-haul traffic, plus their remoteness plays a factor, but tell me another town of 2,500 in their respective states not on an interstate that has as many hotels and restaurants as they do.  It doesn't kill the town, it just shifts the industry a bit.  Sure those are now corporations now instead of local business, but locals get those jobs, so it averages out.  People that were going to stop when it was a 4 lane Main Street are still going to stop for a bite to eat or a hotel now that it's a freeway.  They still get tired or hungry at the same rate they always did. 

The only thing I disagreed with is in downtown Fredericksburg, there aren't any truck stops or anything catering to long distance drivers.  It's a bunch of trinket shops, antique stores and specialty scrapbook stores that I honestly don't know how they produce the revenue to pay their rent as it is.  I am also not a good judge of art.  There are local restaurants that will be bypassed, but the locals will still flock to them.   No one flocks to Fredericksburg from Austin to eat.   We have our own overpriced food here!

[ethanhopkin14]

Any new developments?  I have been through Fredericksburg a lot lately and there are a lot of signs saying STOP THE BYPASS.  Seems local opposition is high.  For the life of me, I don't understand why people who live there want 18 wheelers squeezing through that quaint downtown area. 

Simple small-town microeconomics.  Since the existing US 290 is right on the route of trucks to & from Austin and El Paso (as well as points beyond that), there's likely quite a bit of streetside business geared toward provisions for that traffic (restaurants, fuel, drug stores, convenience stores, etc.) that doesn't want (a) to see it go away or (b) have to move to the bypass -- if financially possible.  And with COVID19 invariably cutting into what business there is, there's probably at this point an air of desperation attached to that situation.  Stopping -- or at least delaying -- the bypass is probably seen as a step toward restoring some sense of normality.  And putting up with semis rolling down a street has likely already been internalized within the town.  Down the line, the chances are that some sort of US 290 bypass will be constructed -- but the most affected parties in town would prefer to see that particular can "kicked down the road" for as long as possible.

I agree with everything you said.  I agree with that being the mentality of the minions.  That being said, what boggles my mind is the notion of bypassing a town killing a town.  I have always been a skeptic on the subject that a town bypass kills a town.  Pixar even made a movie about it!!  When the interstates were built and towns got bypasses or just had a freeway instead of a surface main street, yes, some towns became a shell of what they once were.  Some towns I think flourished.  I immediately think of Lordsburg, New Mexico and Van Horn, Texas.  It helps that they seem to be a navigational beacon for long-haul traffic, plus their remoteness plays a factor, but tell me another town of 2,500 in their respective states not on an interstate that has as many hotels and restaurants as they do.  It doesn't kill the town, it just shifts the industry a bit.  Sure those are now corporations now instead of local business, but locals get those jobs, so it averages out.  People that were going to stop when it was a 4 lane Main Street are still going to stop for a bite to eat or a hotel now that it's a freeway.  They still get tired or hungry at the same rate they always did. 

The only thing I disagreed with is in downtown Fredericksburg, there aren't any truck stops or anything catering to long distance drivers.  It's a bunch of trinket shops, antique stores and specialty scrapbook stores that I honestly don't know how they produce the revenue to pay their rent as it is.  I am also not a good judge of art.  There are local restaurants that will be bypassed, but the locals will still flock to them.   No one flocks to Fredericksburg from Austin to eat.   We have our own overpriced food here!

Let me rephrase this.  People don't drive from Austin to Fredericksburg just to eat.  People do drive from San Antonio and Austin to Fredericksburg to visit the shops and take in the local German culture and while there, they do get a bite to eat.  My point is, the people who drive there to take in that stuff will always come, bypass or not. 

[sprjus4]

Any new developments?  I have been through Fredericksburg a lot lately and there are a lot of signs saying STOP THE BYPASS.  Seems local opposition is high.  For the life of me, I don't understand why people who live there want 18 wheelers squeezing through that quaint downtown area. 

Simple small-town microeconomics.  Since the existing US 290 is right on the route of trucks to & from Austin and El Paso (as well as points beyond that), there's likely quite a bit of streetside business geared toward provisions for that traffic (restaurants, fuel, drug stores, convenience stores, etc.) that doesn't want (a) to see it go away or (b) have to move to the bypass -- if financially possible.  And with COVID19 invariably cutting into what business there is, there's probably at this point an air of desperation attached to that situation.  Stopping -- or at least delaying -- the bypass is probably seen as a step toward restoring some sense of normality.  And putting up with semis rolling down a street has likely already been internalized within the town.  Down the line, the chances are that some sort of US 290 bypass will be constructed -- but the most affected parties in town would prefer to see that particular can "kicked down the road" for as long as possible.

I agree with everything you said.  I agree with that being the mentality of the minions.  That being said, what boggles my mind is the notion of bypassing a town killing a town.  I have always been a skeptic on the subject that a town bypass kills a town.  Pixar even made a movie about it!!  When the interstates were built and towns got bypasses or just had a freeway instead of a surface main street, yes, some towns became a shell of what they once were.  Some towns I think flourished.  I immediately think of Lordsburg, New Mexico and Van Horn, Texas.  It helps that they seem to be a navigational beacon for long-haul traffic, plus their remoteness plays a factor, but tell me another town of 2,500 in their respective states not on an interstate that has as many hotels and restaurants as they do.  It doesn't kill the town, it just shifts the industry a bit.  Sure those are now corporations now instead of local business, but locals get those jobs, so it averages out.  People that were going to stop when it was a 4 lane Main Street are still going to stop for a bite to eat or a hotel now that it's a freeway.  They still get tired or hungry at the same rate they always did. 

The only thing I disagreed with is in downtown Fredericksburg, there aren't any truck stops or anything catering to long distance drivers.  It's a bunch of trinket shops, antique stores and specialty scrapbook stores that I honestly don't know how they produce the revenue to pay their rent as it is.  I am also not a good judge of art.  There are local restaurants that will be bypassed, but the locals will still flock to them.   No one flocks to Fredericksburg from Austin to eat.   We have our own overpriced food here!

Let me rephrase this.  People don't drive from Austin to Fredericksburg just to eat.  People do drive from San Antonio and Austin to Fredericksburg to visit the shops and take in the local German culture and while there, they do get a bite to eat.  My point is, the people who drive there to take in that stuff will always come, bypass or not.

Exactly, and even with a freeway running near the town, people will still be visiting Downtown for everything it has to offer. I've been there before, it's a nice small town, and quite frankly would be more enjoyable not having semi after semi rolling through every minute.

[armadillo speedbump]

It's mostly just automatic kneejerk NIMBYism. 

I guarantee you the public comments section will contain:  "We don't want to become another Austin!"  "Bullet train!"  "Jade Helm!"   50/50 on a "Make love, not roads!"

[sparker]

It's mostly just automatic kneejerk NIMBYism. 

I guarantee you the public comments section will contain:  "We don't want to become another Austin!"  "Bullet train!"  "Jade Helm!"   50/50 on a "Make love, not roads!"

"Make love, not roads!"?  I always though that was what Hippie Hollow was for!  (and, yes, I was there briefly circa 1970!)

[ethanhopkin14]

It's mostly just automatic kneejerk NIMBYism. 

I guarantee you the public comments section will contain:  "We don't want to become another Austin!"  "Bullet train!"  "Jade Helm!"   50/50 on a "Make love, not roads!"

I understand that too.  Working in a profession where there are a lot of NIMBYs, I see it all the time and I can, believe it or not, empathize with them, to a degree.  I get that it's just the natural reaction, but if you educate yourself and actually stop looking at the four walls of your house and look at the bigger picture, the NIMBY narrow minded view is just dumb. 

Don't build a bypass.  Don't do something that could actually make our nice quaint town even nicer and quainter. 

[TXtoNJ]

It's mostly just automatic kneejerk NIMBYism. 

I guarantee you the public comments section will contain:  "We don't want to become another Austin!"  "Bullet train!"  "Jade Helm!"   50/50 on a "Make love, not roads!"

Small business is very precarious, so any change to the status quo will at least be viewed as suspicious.

[texaskdog]

In the Austin area there are plans to extend the US-290 freeway a couple miles farther West to just past the "Y" at Circle Drive. I don't know when they're supposed to start building the extension. Obviously it's going to be a longer term situation to build a freeway, toll road or some kind of interim solution out West to the US-281 corridor. But TX DOT definitely has to be planning something. Some of it would have to go on a new terrain path. I don't see US-290 getting upgraded on the existing alignment through Dripping Springs.

it appears the buildings in the right of way have been vacated but are still standing.

It will be better for the town to get the traffic out of it.  The only reason I could see for being opposed is loss of tourism but I think most people know its there and will either stop or not stop.  I don't see the need for a freeway on either side of town.

[ethanhopkin14]

In the Austin area there are plans to extend the US-290 freeway a couple miles farther West to just past the "Y" at Circle Drive. I don't know when they're supposed to start building the extension. Obviously it's going to be a longer term situation to build a freeway, toll road or some kind of interim solution out West to the US-281 corridor. But TX DOT definitely has to be planning something. Some of it would have to go on a new terrain path. I don't see US-290 getting upgraded on the existing alignment through Dripping Springs.

it appears the buildings in the right of way have been vacated but are still standing.

It will be better for the town to get the traffic out of it.  The only reason I could see for being opposed is loss of tourism but I think most people know its there and will either stop or not stop.  I don't see the need for a freeway on either side of town.

Driving from Dripping Springs every morning to my job at Mopac and 360, I would have to disagree with you. 

[djlynch]

I don't see US-290 getting upgraded on the existing alignment through Dripping Springs.

Upgrading 290 through/around Dripping Springs is going to get ugly. I don't see a good alternative corridor without pushing through residential areas or basically routing it along Onion or Barton Creeks, which I'm sure will freak out the environmentalist NIMBYs, but you can't upgrade it through town without tearing down half of what was there before 2000.

If TxDOT had managed to do it before HEB and Lowe's went in, there would have been a nice, short bypass route a couple hundred yards south of the existing route to where a couple looops of old highway in the western part of town provided an obvious way to expand the existing ROW without much land takings.

[texaskdog]

In the Austin area there are plans to extend the US-290 freeway a couple miles farther West to just past the "Y" at Circle Drive. I don't know when they're supposed to start building the extension. Obviously it's going to be a longer term situation to build a freeway, toll road or some kind of interim solution out West to the US-281 corridor. But TX DOT definitely has to be planning something. Some of it would have to go on a new terrain path. I don't see US-290 getting upgraded on the existing alignment through Dripping Springs.

it appears the buildings in the right of way have been vacated but are still standing.

It will be better for the town to get the traffic out of it.  The only reason I could see for being opposed is loss of tourism but I think most people know its there and will either stop or not stop.  I don't see the need for a freeway on either side of town.

Driving from Dripping Springs every morning to my job at Mopac and 360, I would have to disagree with you. 

My apologies....I meant I don't see a need for a freeway on either side of FREDERICKSBURG, that paragraph was about Fred. 

[texaskdog]

I don't see US-290 getting upgraded on the existing alignment through Dripping Springs.

Upgrading 290 through/around Dripping Springs is going to get ugly. I don't see a good alternative corridor without pushing through residential areas or basically routing it along Onion or Barton Creeks, which I'm sure will freak out the environmentalist NIMBYs, but you can't upgrade it through town without tearing down half of what was there before 2000.

If TxDOT had managed to do it before HEB and Lowe's went in, there would have been a nice, short bypass route a couple hundred yards south of the existing route to where a couple looops of old highway in the western part of town provided an obvious way to expand the existing ROW without much land takings.

I was thinking if they started on the east side of Dripping and ran a highway on the north side of town and cross 281 and then hit current 290 just west of Johnson city that would be smartest