By Will Pafford

A walking trail on Reveille Road was sent out to bid by the West Lake Hills City Council.

The Council decided to use concrete instead of a semipervious material called Ecocreto and it decided to build the sidewalk completely along the east side of the road during its meeting on March 25.

The original project that included Ecocreto and speed bumps had an estimated cost of about $95,000.

The decision to use concrete and not build speed bumps saved the city about $20,000, bringing the cost estimate to about $75,000.

City Engineer Steve Ramsey said he estimates the future engineering costs to bring the project to construction would be $10,000, making the total estimated cost about $85,000.

Ramsey said the city has spent about $12,000 so far in surveying and engineering.

The current project also includes reflectors along the road stripe that will separate the walking trail from Reveille Road, so that may add to the cost, City Administrator Robert Wood said.

The city will not know the actual cost of the project until the bid process is finished, Wood said.

Councilwoman Amy Simmons said the project has a significant cost, but it’s worth it.
“It’s a big number, but I think we have to do something,” she said. “You can’t not address the problem.”

Simmons recommended removing the speed humps from the original cost to save $6,000, possibly adding them later as another project.

Ramsey said the lack of speed bumps may be a safety concern.

“There is nothing to protect the pedestrian other than this four-inch wide strips,” he said.

Two residents who live on Reveille Road spoke at the meeting in favor of building the walking trail completely on the east side of the road.

Kathy Dutton said she supports the sidewalk but does not want a crosswalk in the middle of the road.

“People do drive fast on Reveille,” she said.

Mike Dewey also said he wants a sidewalk to protect pedestrians, but a crosswalk in the middle of the street could put them at risk.