CTRMA responds to Travis County request

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority’s Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein said no on Wednesday to the Travis County Commissioners Court’s request for a comprehensive environmental and traffic study. The requested study would look at the planned State Highway 45 Southwest, a proposed portion connecting to Interstate 35 and the proposed MoPac South Improvement Project as a “loop,” measuring its cumulative impacts. Heiligenstein told the Austin Monitor that he takes everything from the commissioner’s court seriously, but the transportation agency will not do the cumulative studies. “When we do traffic modeling for a project, we actually do look at the entire network. But, as far as a study, I don’t have money in my budget,” he said. “If another entity wanted to fund that, we could do the work.” CTRMA board members requested an attorney consultation before providing a response to the county. The board will hear a briefing on the indirect and cumulative effects of the proposed roadways in an environmental review at its next meeting, Heiligenstein said.