Traffic is flowing smoother along Bee Cave Road through the Loop 360 intersection as a result of the recent completion of a $3.6 million improvements project. Daily commuters who must traverse this once problematic bottleneck will join us in saying it was money well spent.

Because the Texas Department of Transportation officials seldom hear from anyone when projects go well, we feel it is important to say that they did an amazing job on this one. The project added much needed lanes of traffic, greatly improved the ability to merge safely and created protected turning bays where turning was once a dangerous proposition. Also, the work was done ahead of schedule and with no serious accidents.

In addition, traffic lights at the Palisades West business park and at Castle Ridge Road were modified to increase both efficiency and safety.

For the most part, motorists cooperated by obeying the posted speed limits through the construction zone, and part of the reason stems from the fact that TxDOT officials worked diligently on safety issues and with local law enforcement agencies to ensure regular police visibility.

The challenge ahead is to complete the remaining two-mile segment through the city of West Lake Hills with funds remaining for the Bee Cave Road improvements project. TxDOT recently allocated those funds to the city of West Lake Hills, so it’s up to city officials to get the job done. That work is on the horizon, and motorists are likely hoping for a similarly seamless and effective project in the not-too-distant future.

Every now and then, road improvement projects are done with as little disruption as humanly possible, and this was certainly one of them. Hats off to everyone at TxDOT who played key roles in this project.