Williamson County Transportation Plan Update

1
Williamson County Transportation Plan Update

• June 29, 2009
• County Public Hearing

2
Public Hearing

• Purpose To gain citizen input regarding the
  Countys Long-Range Transportation Plan
  Update
• Format After a brief plan presentation by the
  Road Bond Program Manager, citizens that have
  signed up will each be given five minutes to
  share input on the plan, which will be
  formally recorded for consideration.
  Written comments or questions may also be
  submitted.
• Comments Following the hearing, there will be a
  10-day open comment period for additional
  input. Citizens may submit their feedback to
  roads_at_wilco.org
• Recommendation The consultant team will
  summarize all comments and make a final
  recommendation to the Commissioners Court in
  late July.

3
Williamson County 2035 Plan Proposal Summary

• The current traffic demand model used for the
  2035 Plan Proposal suggests
• More than 100 miles of new roadways
• More than 350 miles of roads will be widened,
  providing additional lanes
• Currently, 17 of our roads are heavily congested
  during morning rush hour. If no improvements are
  made, 59 of our roads would be congested by 2035
• If the plan improvements are made as suggested,
  32 of our roads would still be congested in 2035
• Estimated cost of plan proposal is 1.8 to 2.2
  billion

4
Transportation Issues

• Dramatic population growth
• 1 out of every 4 residents has arrived since 2000
• Employment
• A substantial number of residents work outside
  the County
• Land Use
• Cities have land-use regulations the County does
  not
• Transit System
• The County lacks a comprehensive transit system
• ALL OF THESE LEAD TO MOBILITY CONGESTION

5
County Population Projections(2000 to 2035)
The County has used conservative estimates in
making its growth projections for the plan
,
3/28/2012
6
Population

• Austin MSA Population Growth

POPULATION GROWTH
Austin MSA population growth is expected to
double over the next 25 years
7
Population
Williamson County Population Projection
PREDICTED POPULATION GROWTH

• Williamson County is predicted to continue
  growing
• faster than the region

8
Employment
Austin MSA Annual Total Employment
Growth is still positive, but will continue to
slow down through 2009
9
Employment
Williamson County Total Employment
Total job growth (at 52) has outpaced total
population growth since 1990
10
Employment
Employed Williamson County Residents vs.
In-County Jobs
Only 27 of Williamson County residents work
inside the County
11
Employment
Williamson County Employment Outlook
Despite the current recession, Williamson County
employment is still expected to double by 2035
12
Transit-Oriented Development Mixed-Use,
High-Density Communities (Current and Future)

• Round Rock Downtown
• Leander Transit-Oriented Development
• Dell Headquarters along SH 45
• Avery Centre
• City of Georgetown SE Inner Loop/Mokan Corridor
• Opportunities along Capital Metros Commuter Rail
  Line, including Lakeline Station and proposed
  Round Rock/SH 45 Connector

3/28/2012
13
Proposed 2035 Transit Service
Sources CAMPO 2030 Plan and Cities of Round
Rock, Leander, Georgetown, and Pflugerville
14
Williamson County 2015 EC Network
15
Williamson County 2035 Plan (Build Daily)
3/28/2012
16
2035 Plan Proposal Recommendations

• Transit As the County continues to grow and
  explore multimodal transportation opportunities
  in the future, it may consider contributing funds
  to these efforts.
• Bicycle/Pedestrian/Trails The County adopted a
  comprehensive park master plan in 2008. With
  regard to bicycle and pedestrian improvements,
  cities will have the opportunity to install
  sidewalks and bike lanes as roads are built.
• Road Improvements Please refer to the handout
  for a full list of proposed projects.

17
Next Steps

• Williamson County
• Commissioners Court will make decision on whether
  or not to adopt the plan in its current form
  after reviewing proposal and citizen input
• The County will continue to work closely with
  member cities to make regular updates to the plan
• CAMPO
• CAMPO is going through an update to the regions
  Long-Range Transportation Plan. Williamson
  Countys transportation plan and demographic
  forecast will be provided to CAMPO as input into
  its process to adopt a new 2035 regional
  transportation plan.