While the reasoning is still unclear, the Capital Area Metro Planning Organization’s funding over the next two years has been slashed, and Bee Cave Road’s long-promised center turn lane hangs in the balance.

“I’m confused, discouraged but still hopeful,” West Lake Hills Mayor Dave Claunch said at the City Council meeting last week, attended by several members of the transportation commission.

CAMPO allocated $6.3 million to West Lake Hills for a center turn lane along Bee Cave Road in February of last year, but the money was never set aside specifically for that purpose and has since dried up. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the project was part of the Service Transportation Program for Metropolitan Mobility, a federally funded program.

In 2008, the program had $15.1 million; in 2009, that figure jumped to $40.5 million thanks to an increase in federal dollars; but now, in 2010, the entire allotment is just $4.5 million, with an even lower number projected for next year. The most specific TxDOT officials could get in a reason for the dwindling funds a general drop in federal funding, but Claunch said at last week’s meeting that he heard it had been a trickle down effect of 2008’s $1 billion accounting error.

“What happened with the $1 billion accounting error was that TxDOT had counted a source of revenue twice, and we programmed projects based off that,” said Carlos Lopez, TxDOT district engineer. “I can’t say that’s a direct correlation. That was from bond type of proceeds.”

But no matter the reason, the fact remains that the money just isn’t there, and won’t be until 2012, when the program expects a $13.1 million allotment. And with Bee Cave’s center turn lane just one of the many projects put on hold, competition for CAMPO money will be steep.

Claunch brought good news and bad news to the council on the topic, all of the good news surrounding the $1 million Red Bud Trail intersection portion of the project. That construction is still on track, and he said, TxDOT has been working with him to find alternate sources of funding if CAMPO doesn’t come through.

TxDOT Planning Director Ed Collins said that project was still on course for design completion by May and construction by late 2010 or early 2011. That project leapt ahead the center turn lane when council members initially hoped to tack it onto the Loop 360 intersection improvements.

“They have been very nebulous about committing to even starting the design,” Claunch said of the larger project.

West Lake Hills had initially commissioned HNTB to design the center turn lane project, but TxDOT opted to design the project in-house, putting it in a long queue behind several other projects.

“That was part of our cash flow issue,” Lopez said. “We ran out of consultant money and we had to stop a bunch of consultant work around the state.”

Officials stood by the assessment on their web site that the design, right-of-way and utility shifting should be done in 2012, allowing the project a construction-ready designation. But, construction can’t start until the money is there.

Claunch opened the discussion to all possible ideas before council and the attending transportation commission members, including working to get the projects shovel-ready on the chance of a second American Recovery Fund, putting in reserve money from the city, all the way to forming a pitchfork mob.

“My kids will be in college by the time they could walk to school,” Claunch said. “I’m open to all kinds of suggestions, and I wanted everyone to understand where we’re at.”