FW: Hamilton Pool Road Safety Improvements Project - Update 2/2016

[Gene Lowenthal]

 

 

From: Travis County [mailto:HPR-SafetyImprovements=TravisCou...@mail214.atl171.mcdlv.net] On Behalf Of Travis County
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2016 1:00 PM
Subject: Hamilton Pool Road Safety Improvements Project - Update 2/2016

 

Hamilton Pool Road - Project Update 2/10 Thank you again for taking the time to participate in the Hamilton Pool Road Safety Improvements Project (from RR 12 to East of the switchback of the Pedernales River). There were 65 attendees at the public meeting on October 29, 2015 where 106 mapped comments were submitted and 100 online surveys completed. This valuable input will help the project team as we continue to identify & address safety concerns along the project.   The public meeting report is posted on the project webpage. Next Steps Travis County and the project team will continue to evaluate safety needs, mobility, and environmental features while balancing this with the public input received.   The County is moving forward with the design of the bridge over Hamilton Creek and the improvements to the entrance at Hamilton Pool Park.  A list of feasible safety improvements is also being developed from the review of safety concerns listed through the public input process and engineering study. These will be placed in groups, ranked, and a cost estimate will be developed for each one to assess funding needs and plan implementation of the selected improvements.  Another public meeting is anticipated to be held this summer, to present the lists and to collect public input. Meeting notifications will be posted on the project webpage and sent via Please let us know if you need any additional information and thank you again for being involved in this project. Contact Information:   Chiddi N’jie, P.E. Travis County Project Manager 512-854-7585 Arin Gray Public Involvement Consultant 512-533-9100 Ext. 12       Questions or do you want to sign up for updates?   Send an Email   Go to Webpage     Forward this email to a friend or colleague:   Forward     Follow Travis County on:   Facebook   Twitter   Website     Copyright © 2016 Travis County, All rights reserved. Your are receiving this email because you opted in. Our mailing address is: Travis County P.O. Box 1748 Austin, TX 78767 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

[Gene Lowenthal]

It’s instructive to see the result of what supposed to be a very minor improvement to the east end of HPR. Just adding a few feet of shoulder resulted in huge inconvenience and what appears to have been gross over-engineering and cost. We now have a long stretch of concrete below Star Hill Ranch. It’s a cautionary tale about “simple” improvements running amok.

 

--- Gene

 

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From: Gene Lowenthal [mailto:ge...@lowenthal.net]
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2016 4:02 PM
To: 'hamilton-...@googlegroups.com'
Subject: FW: Hamilton Pool Road Safety Improvements Project - Update 2/2016

[Ric Sternberg]

Agreed. What an ugly mess that gigantic fortification is. Ask the county and state for nothing. Resist anything they might propose.

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[Miriam Wright]

I have a very hard time understanding exactly what the project improved.  I saw bike riders along a stretch that had shoulders (skinny shoulders - at that) transitioning to walking their bikes along a stretch with no shoulder and then they were faced with a portion of road with guardrails and again - no shoulder.   There are stretches with a shoulder on one side and not the other.  Are we to assume that bike riders will never return?  It looked very dangerous to me and made me wonder if the bike riders had heard (mistakenly) that there were shoulders on HPR now.  And the cement slabs in front of Star Hill Ranch are definitely not an attractive addition to our once scenic drive.  We need to be very wary of planned improvements west of 12.

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Little Buckaroo Ranch
Jimmy and Miriam Wright
18320 Hamilton Pool Road
Austin, TX 78738
http://www.littlebuckarooranch.com
littlebuc...@gmail.com
512/264-2383

[nell penridge]

I asked our TXDoT engineer, Victor Vargas, in charge of the HPR work and this is his answer:

"We have placed rip-rap on slopes that are steeper than 3:1.  Bottom line once we get to a slope steeper than a 3:1 we are not able to keep grass growing."

Looks like a canvas for graffiti... just awful.

Nell

Sent from my iPad

[Mara Eurich]

It looks like we will have an improved driveway at one end of our lot and a turn lane for Bell Springs at the other end. I am not sure how I should prepare for this onslaught.

> On Feb 12, 2016, at 9:45 AM, nell penridge <npen...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I asked our TXDoT engineer, Victor Vargas, in charge of the HPR work and this is his answer:
>
> "We have placed rip-rap on slopes that are steeper than 3:1. Bottom line once we get to a slope steeper than a 3:1 we are not able to keep grass growing."
>
> Looks like a canvas for graffiti... just awful.
> Nell
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Feb 12, 2016, at 9:33 AM, Miriam Wright <littlebuc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I have a very hard time understanding exactly what the project improved. I saw bike riders along a stretch that had shoulders (skinny shoulders - at that) transitioning to walking their bikes along a stretch with no shoulder and then they were faced with a portion of road with guardrails and again - no shoulder. There are stretches with a shoulder on one side and not the other. Are we to assume that bike riders will never return? It looked very dangerous to me and made me wonder if the bike riders had heard (mistakenly) that there were shoulders on HPR now. And the cement slabs in front of Star Hill Ranch are definitely not an attractive addition to our once scenic drive. We need to be very wary of planned improvements west of 12.
>>
>> On Fri, Feb 12, 2016 at 8:52 AM, Gene Lowenthal <ge...@lowenthal.net> wrote:
>> It’s instructive to see the result of what supposed to be a very minor improvement to the east end of HPR. Just adding a few feet of shoulder resulted in huge inconvenience and what appears to have been gross over-engineering and cost. We now have a long stretch of concrete below Star Hill Ranch. It’s a cautionary tale about “simple” improvements running amok.
>>
>>
>>
>> --- Gene
>>
>>
>>

>> From: Gene Lowenthal [mailto:ge...@lowenthal.net]
>> Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2016 4:02 PM
>> To: 'hamilton-...@googlegroups.com'
>> Subject: FW: Hamilton Pool Road Safety Improvements Project - Update 2/2016
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Travis County [mailto:HPR-SafetyImprovements=TravisCou...@mail214.atl171.mcdlv.net] On Behalf Of Travis County
>> Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2016 1:00 PM
>> Subject: Hamilton Pool Road Safety Improvements Project - Update 2/2016
>>
>>
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>>

[Ayesha Anthony]

It's so true. The concrete breaks my heart... :(

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

On Fri, Feb 12, 2016 at 8:52 AM, Gene Lowenthal

<ge...@lowenthal.net> wrote:

[Judith Hendricks]

Concrete disgusting.

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[Hope Phillips]

I second that. Concrete disgusting and bulldozing, too. It's a mindset.