City engineer updates projects
HUTTO — Big changes are coming to Limmer Loop.
City officials recently announced Limmer Loop will go from two to six lanes to handle traffic diverted from a congested U.S. 79, upgrading the former from a minor road to a major arterial thoroughfare.
City Engineer Matt Rector gave a presentation during Thursday’s City Council meeting that outlined the alterations.
Also during the session, council members received updates on engineering projects and a chatbot on the city website, as well as recognized diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Meanwhile, the capitalimprovement project to increase Limmer Loop capacity will expand the road from Innovation Boulevard to FM 1660.
The project was split in half and awarded to two consulting firms.
Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson Inc. will work on the section from Innovation to Ed Schmidt Boulevard and WSB Engineering is tackling the stretch from Ed Schmidt to 1660.
With two lanes and some sporadic sidewalks, the right of way for Limmer Loop currently is 100 feet wide. The consultants designed preliminary schematics using 134 feet of right of way to create a six-lane road with a 24-foot median and shared-use paths on either side.
The added right of way could have an impact on several properties, including a water-tank yard and a corner store gas station already beginning to move earth for construction. It would also conflict with where the Highlands of Hutto subdivision plans to construct some buildings.
Mayor Mike Snyder questioned the Highlands of Hutto land plan for its easement usage, and whether it was approved by Oncor Electric.
He said buildings are not allowed within the utility easement, so he believes Rector will be able to work something out with the subdivision developer regarding the right of way.
The city asked for public feedback on the project and received requests for creating left-turn lanes into St. Patrick Catholic Church, 2500 Limmer Loop, and into the new corner store.
Council members did not favor the leftturn lanes because they reduce the available space for driving lanes, ultimately making part of the road four lanes instead of six. Consultants said the four-lane option would mean congestion in those areas.
“I understand they want a turn lane, but I want the traffic fixed more than I want their turn lane. If we can get both, great. But if not, we fix the traffic and they deal with people having to go around the block to get into the gas station,” said Councilman Dan Thornton.
The council also directed engineers to evaluate vehicle patterns at the intersections and to use Texas Department of Transportation’ guidelines
to decide if a traffic signal or a roundabout is needed.
City engineers at work Rector also updated the council on capitalimprovement projects his department tackled during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 — engineers performed 614 plan reviews, put forward 251 council agenda items, managed 62 capital-improvement projects and completed 22.
“That’s more than 40 (completed) in the past two years, which is more than Hutto has done as far back as I can find,” Rector said.
Capital-improvement projects generally require financing through bonds and certificates of obligation and include new roads and expanding wastewater or water-distribution capabilities.
Chatbot to increase website functionality The council approved adding a chatbot to the city’s website, Huttotx. gov, to make it easier for the public to find items. Officials said the chatbot makes it easier to navigate complex documents and potentially reduce the number of calls and emails city staffers receive.
David Amsler, director of strategic operations, told council there would be an internal testing period before they made the technology available to the public.
Council also approved staff training in artificial intelligence “guardrails.” Amsler said AI training for government employees has been mandated by the state.
World Inclusion Day Oct. 10 Hutto honored World Inclusion Day with a proclamation and a presentation from the city’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Commission.
Meanwhile, Chairwoman Connie Zepeda said the commission has begun to establish focus groups centered around veterans, small-business owners and older residents.
“The reason we chose those specific ones is when we took a look at the landscape of the citizens of Hutto, those three presented the greatest amount of intersectionality of being able to represent the greatest number of residents,” Zepeda said.
The goal is to ensure all people feel welcome, feel a sense of belonging and have access to resources and representation, she added.
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“I understand they want a turn lane, but I want the traffic fixed more than I want their turn lane.”
— Councilman Dan Thornton
