New Road to be Built in Steiner Ranch
In 2011, a fire in Steiner Ranch devastated the neighborhood by destroying 23 homes. About 160 acres were destroyed by the fire most likely due to power lines. Since then, Steiner Ranch has added over 500 homes and 600 apartment units to its neighborhood. While the community has grown, the infrastructure has not. If another disaster happened, residents would only have one exit. This would cause major delays and possibly high casualties.
What’s the plan?
To fix this issue, Travis County and an independent engineering firm explored many options and alternatives. They have come to a conclusion to fund what will be called Route F. Route F will connect from Flat Top Road to FM 620 at east side of the Mansfield dam.
How did this to go through?
2/3 of the Steiner Ranch Association Board voted t on March 4, 2019 to approve Route F. Travis County concluded 12 options and found Route F to be the most beneficial. Route F is the only route funded by Travis County with $7 million for the investment. Many meetings were held with Travis County associates, Steiner Ranch Board and locals before making the final decision to vote in favor of Route F. No start date has been announced for the construction of Route F.
Benefits of Route F
The emphasis of Route F is to help those in Steiner Ranch have an alternative escape route should there be an emergency. Route F will also help to divert daily traffic from Steiner Ranch Elementary School and back up on 620RD. Travis County will create a 30-car parking lot and new walkways near the parks in the Flat Top area. Visitors will no longer need to park on the side of the road. This will create a safer environment for pedestrians to explore and enjoy the Flat Top area. Residents in Westridge and Headlands will be able to exit directly to 620 while no longer having to go through Quinlan Park Road.
Concerns
Residents are worried about the effect this will have on kids who cross 6 lanes of traffic daily and ride their bikes. The response was the Steiner Ranch is working with LISD to expand sidewalks to make room for bikes and well as more room for walkers.
How will this effect real estate?
The impact on real estate is not known. Should Route F be close to properties, property value may be effected. According to the Steiner Ranch website, no residential driveways will connect to Route F. No further development will be allowed which was confirmed by Steiner Ranch and Travis County. To secure land, Travis County may use various means to obtain property for Route F, including right of condemnation / eminent domain. However, the Travis County Commissioner’s Office stated that they prefer to work with the Steiner Ranch Board in securing land for Route F.
More information can be found here on Steiner Ranch HOA website
If you have any question or would like to voice support you can reach out to Travis County via email [email protected]