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The first part of the RM 620 on the RM 2222 Bypass Lane is now open in Northwest Austin. (Courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation)
Report finds section of I-35 through North Austin among the deadliest roads in Texas
A recent Texas Fatal Car Accident Review found that a four-mile stretch of I-35 in North Austin is the fourth deadliest street in Texas.
Financial analyst MoneyGeek released its Texas Fatal Accident Study in late June, which the company created by studying more than 10,000 fatal accidents across the state between 2017 and 2019.
According to the report, there have been 14 fatal incidents on I-35 from the US 290 interchange to the Yager Lane exit, representing 3.1 fatal incidents per mile.
That made this stretch of I-35 through North Austin the fourth-deadliest street in Texas and the only street in Austin among the state’s 10 deadliest streets, the report said.
Travis County had the fifth most common road traffic accident of any county in Texas in 2017-19, with 337 incidents resulting in 357 deaths, the report said. During that time, 36 fatal accidents occurred on I-35, making it the deadliest street in Austin.
Drunk driving was responsible for more than a fifth of Travis County’s accident fatalities. According to MoneyGeek, about 25% of the 10,137 fatal incidents nationwide in 2017-19 were due to drunk driving.
Continue reading here.
Milestone reached as Four Points Bypass is partially opened
Almost two years after the groundbreaking by the local authorities, the first section of a bypass road from RM 620 to RM 2222 has now been opened to traffic.
The Texas Department of Transportation announced in a July 19 press release that the northern section of the new bypass is now open to the public. Vehicles traveling north on RM 620 can now use the bypass to get east on RM 2222.
According to TxDOT, the southern section of the bypass will be opened at an unspecified later date. Bradley Wheelis, TxDOT Public Information Officer, said the crews must re-deduct and install a turning bay for traffic from RM 620 southbound before the southbound bypass lanes can be opened. The final work on the project should be completed by early 2022.
The bypass intersects south of the existing intersection RM 620 and RM 2222, north of Steiner Ranch Boulevard, and is intended to divert the flow of traffic away from the northernmost intersection. The new bypass intersects RM 2222 near River Place Boulevard.
A 2020 TxDOT study estimates that improvements, including the new bypass, could cut travel times by up to 60%. In an email to Community Impact Newspaper, Wheelis said that TxDOT expects more than 36,000 motorists will use the bypass on average every day once both directions of the road are open. The state predicts that number will rise to 54,300 average daily drivers by 2038.
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CURRENT PROJECTS
Parkfield Drive improvements
City crews completed pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements from Rundberg Lane to Payton Gin Road in late June. The city will next build pedestrian crossing islands nearby.
Schedule: May-late summer 2021
Read more about this project here.
RM 2222 improvements
At the beginning of July, traffic was relocated to the south side of RM 2222. State crews are working on excavations and street reconstructions from River Place Boulevard to the upcoming bypass.
Timeline: winter 2018-summer 2021
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