What safety changes are coming to Bluff Springs Road in southeast Austin?

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Transportation and Public Works Department is poised to begin work on intersection safety upgrades along Bluff Springs Road in southeast Austin this month.

The safety project encompasses intersection improvements, enhanced street lighting, protected bikeways, improved pedestrian crossings and elevated transit stops along Bluff Springs Road, per the ATPWD's project webpage. The project boundary runs along Bluff Springs Road from William Cannon Drive to the Austin city limits in the 8300 block of Bluff Springs Road.

The project corridor is designated as a high-crash corridor within the City of Austin's High-Injury Network, a city database that tracks roadways within city limits that account for a high volume of crashes resulting in serious injuries and deaths. Nearly 240 crashes were reported between May 2018 and April 2023 along the project corridor, resulting in three deaths, eight serious injuries and 51 additional injuries.

Construction is expected to begin Sept. 25, an ATPWD spokesperson told KXAN.

What changes are planned along Bluff Springs Road?

Under the existing roadway design, this portion of Bluff Springs Road features two through traffic lanes in each section, along with sidewalks running along both sides of the roadway. The future road configuration will feature one through vehicle lane in each direction, a bike lane in each direction as well as a center turn lane. Sidewalks for pedestrian use will remain on both sides of the road.

The project features a new traffic signal at the intersection of Bluff Springs Road and Quicksilver Boulevard, as well as street lighting improvements running from William Cannon Drive to Slaughter Lane.

This fall's work will include the application of a seal coat and lane restriping along the roadway. Pedestrian crossings, transit stops, protected bikeways and curb ramps are expected to be installed following those initial roadway upgrades.

The project is expected to take roughly six months, but street lighting improvements and a traffic signal installation at the Quicksilver Boulevard intersection will come in 2024, per project documents.

The project is being funded courtesy the City of Austin's 2018 and 2020 mobility bonds, as well as federal dollars provided through the 2020 Highway Safety Improvement Program.

Community feedback on the project was gathered in July and August, with those findings available online.