Save Dripping Springs!
June 2024
(May 2025 – see NEW US 290 below for a bigger and better plan!)
Dripping
Springs at Ranch Road 12 will repeat the 40 year Oak Hill traffic
jam unless the freeway can end WEST of town. As US 290 is
the only route headed west from Austin, limited access freeway beyond
Dripping Springs is inevitable, it is only a matter of when. For
analysis of the current highway plan east of here see Fact
Check: US 290 from Oak Hill to Dripping Springs.
This
page is an idea to save downtown
Dripping Springs by moving through traffic around town rather than
through town. Let “Business 290” remain small and local – no
frontage roads!
DISCLAIMER: I am just a concerned resident, not a traffic engineer. If I drew a line on your property I apologize. If this idea were to proceed, it would be planned by professionals including environmental study, public input meetings, detailed design and so on. If your idea is better, please let me know!
Getting the freeway west of town while keeping the current 1 US highway path through town requires future frontage roads. This future expansion will remove all structures within 150 feet of the current 290 since it will need to be at least 321 feet wide. Or perhaps it could go up in the air and hover over the frontage roads to fit in the current space and save buildings. Either way would be destructive and would lose the small town charm along current 290. The bright side is that historic Mercer Street (the original 290) would survive US 290 frontage roads!
Many down town areas have been saved by splitting the highway into separate local and through routes. Examples include Brenham, Taylor, La Grange and many others. Destructive widening through town is eliminated when you offload through freeway traffic around town. Frontage roads are not needed on either path since the original business highway and its cross streets already provide local access from nearby freeway exits. Therefore the new freeway bypass can fit in less than 150 feet while supporting up to 3 lanes in each direction. The new path also gives locals more options for getting around town, further relieving traffic in town and improving business access and quality of life.
Sadly, houses are already built in all possible bypass paths or will be added in the next few years. See below for other path ideas already blocked by houses. Shown here could be the last remaining nearly clear path to route through traffic as of 2024. If you wait to buy a right of way, then freeway bypass will become impossible and you will be forced to frontage roads through town.
East
End Option AThis image is a detail of the east end of the highway split. There are today two relatively clear paths to an overpass that connects to RR12 south of business 290. Option A is further out and south of YMCA which appears preferable. However, the curves could be too tight and this space is already consumed by the coming hundreds of houses of Village Grove. It is not likely this could work. Therefore option A is not shown on the overall image above.
Option B is closer in around only HEB. This provides more gradual curves to the south and west. There is about 300 feet between the Courtyard hotel and the YMCA. So the minimum 120 feet required for the freeway can fit through to the RR12 overpass. Freeway would go ~20 feet elevated over Rob Shelton and RR12 due to their close proximity but only RR12 needs ramps down to the signal.
Onion
Creek and BridgesProceeding west, staying north of Onion Creek would have been ideal with fewer bridges. But many houses are already built in that path. So freeway must now cross the creek twice, once in the above image and again in this one. This section can optionally have on/off ramps to Creek Road and/or Roger Hanks for another local access option. Only one of these is needed, not both.
The west end would continue on and reconnect the highway split near Holder Lane.
As little as 150 feet right of way would support up to 3 lanes in each direction and even SUP (shared use path) for hiking and biking. Grass median instead of concrete barrier would require at least 200 feet. Imagine how beautiful this path would be when finished! Travelers would get to see more of the beauty of this town through the hills and trees and even over the creek. Truckers would no longer compete with locals in downtown. Residents would have better mobility, no longer stuck at 290 and RR12 every day.
If similar right of way is not obtained soon, I fear freeway bypass will be impossible, see below.
Please let TxDOT and your city leaders know if you agree with this idea or find a better way to save Dripping Springs from its area growth and increasing traffic. For example, you might also advocate the next idea:
New
US 290 North - 30 mile Bypass Option!(This section added May 2025 thanks to input from Miki Cook and other Neighbors!)
For an even better (or additional) option, add limited access freeway along Robinson, Pedernales Falls and Fitzhugh from Johnson City to SH 45 and Circle Drive. Add interchanges to the cross roads. Widen at least McGregor and RR 12 to handle crossover from new US 290 to current “Business 290”. This alignment at Johnson City shortens US 290 by 5 miles! This would offload a large volume of through traffic from current 290 and resolve the escalating traffic problems along Fitzhugh. It would also work beautifully with the future SH 45 west.
Footprint width and community impact can be minimized if the freeway can be offset to the side of current roads. Existing roads remain in place as-is providing continued local access during and after construction. The opposite side might later need similar nearby 2-way access roads. The draft idea shown here tries to minimize roads and property affected by running south of Robinson and north of Fitzhugh.
If offset is impossible, and this must be built in current (but wider) right of way, then frontage roads may be required to provide local access. I believe offset would look better and be preferred over frontage roads in this “country” area that is not high density city.
For previous bypass ideas that already fail to work and why, please see the original version of this article from April 2024.
Tim Witham <twitham@sbcglobal.net>, June 2024, updated May 2025
