Rush Hour Traffic: Bee Cave/Sweetwater to 360 South of Pennybacker Bridge (West: home, to live in)

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Wold Chamberlain

I've returned from a 6-day trip to the Austin area and was very pleased that in Friday evening rush (departed 360/Westlake 5:10pm) and on any of a half-dozen subsequent trips between Sweetwater and 360/Westlake my drive time in either direction was reliably 23-28 minutes - and it's just an exceptionally beautiful, fun drive. Thanks to all and especially to hoffdano for the information that made me comfortable with this as a commute.

In contrast, my attempt to get between the Arboretum and the airport on a Tuesday so as to arrive at the airport by 4pm, however, took 1-1/2 hours on MoPac to 34th Ave to Airport Blvd and nearly cost us our seats on the flight.

thats the wrong way to go. If you take 183 from the arboretum to the airport it is reliably 20 minutes with a maximum of probably 30 even during rush hour. Not sure why you took local roads to get to the airport..

[Wold Chamberlain]

Originally Posted by EzPeterson

Glad that commute works for you - amazing when something on the internet is actually true and works!

Now, as for the Arboretum > ABIA drive, I'm curious... what made you choose that route?.

Great question! Your question led me to pop up a map - I'm certain we were on 38th instead of 34th (but same concept) and this board recognized the culprits - a GPS combined with a user who didn't know all the roads yet. I was in an absolute standstill on MoPac South, when my GPS, calculating based on "traffic", had me exit at 35th, then follow to 38th to 38-1/2th all the way across town to Airport Blvd. They had Airport Blvd knocked down to one lane just north of the river crossing, so after crawling through too many red lights on 38th, found myself in a lineup to get across the river. I dropped off my rental car at 5:00pm and was sitting on a 5:50pm flight with my wife, two children and two car seats (I could have hugged ABIA TSA for the short lines and fast process...)

I've just looked at the map and realized staying on 183 would have made a whole lot of sense, and owe some further thanks to this whole board, which means it's time for me to make sure I contribute once I get settled. Thanks!

[karenjen]

My husband and I really appreciate this thread. We are from Michigan, and are considering a job in the Great Hill/Arboretum area. We visited the Sweetwater development a couple of weeks ago, and were really impressed. We keep hearing from people that the commute is too long, and I know someone on this thread recommended against Sweetwater because it would take long to build out. We're feeling a bit conflicted.

Wold Chamberlain, are you still considering Sweetwater then? It sure is a beautiful development.

Hoffdano, we were excited to see that you are a swimmer. My husband would definitely want to join the Masters program at Nitro if we move in the area. Do you recommend it?

Thanks for all the input.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by karenjen

My husband and I really appreciate this thread. We are from Michigan, and are considering a job in the Great Hill/Arboretum area. We visited the Sweetwater development a couple of weeks ago, and were really impressed. We keep hearing from people that the commute is too long, and I know someone on this thread recommended against Sweetwater because it would take long to build out. We're feeling a bit conflicted.

Wold Chamberlain, are you still considering Sweetwater then? It sure is a beautiful development.

Hoffdano, we were excited to see that you are a swimmer. My husband would definitely want to join the Masters program at Nitro if we move in the area. Do you recommend it?

Thanks for all the input.

I swim at Nitro several mornings each week. The program is currently volunteer-coached. Our attendance lately has been sparse (!) but our core group is solid. The facility is excellent. So - yes - I recommend it. I was out of the water this morning at 6:50 or so. Left the facility at 7:10 a.m.. Reached the Arboretum at 7:45.

[Wold Chamberlain]

Originally Posted by karenjen

My husband and I really appreciate this thread. We are from Michigan, and are considering a job in the Great Hill/Arboretum area. We visited the Sweetwater development a couple of weeks ago, and were really impressed. We keep hearing from people that the commute is too long, and I know someone on this thread recommended against Sweetwater because it would take long to build out. We're feeling a bit conflicted.

Wold Chamberlain, are you still considering Sweetwater then? It sure is a beautiful development.

Thanks for all the input.

My apologies for my delay - we did choose to build out in Sweetwater with David Weekley and will close on that house at the end of April 2013. We had a wonderful experience and couldn't be happier.

In the 5 months leading up to our house being done, I commuted from Falconhead Apartments (3400 RR 620 S, Austin, 78738) to just south of the Lake Austin Bridge reliably in 23-25 minutes each way (I track it every day) with two outliers - 19 minutes (on Good Friday) and 27 minutes (in a deluge of a rainstorm past a few accidents). My arrival times ranged from 7:45am to 11:00am. I expect that the extra mileage to Sweetwater will add 5-6 minutes to those each-way times.

Beyond the Lake Austin bridge, traffic does slow down on 360 North into the Great Hills/Arborteum area. (I'm a Waze user and can watch it build some mornings.) Not knowing how far you go toward the Arboretum, you might be adding a further 10-15 minutes to my timeslots. You are much better off commuting to Arboretum from Sweetwater, however, than from Round Rock/Cedar Park.

Sweetwater is building out nicely. Most of the first lots made available (nearest the Sweetwater Club and Pedernales Summit entrance) in the David Weekley/Ashton Woods/Coventry/Taylor Morrison have been sold or are being held, and I'd suggest of total lots that 40-50% of them are framed/near-built or built as of here end-April. The newest areas being built by Drees and Ryland are just now opening up.There's certainly construction, but I don't fear a multi-year build in the area now for sale. That zone seems to be selling and building quite quickly. I will say that we've been out numerous times at different times of day, and I've been pleased by how a) quiet (vis-a-vis traffic on 71 and the noise from building crews) and b) dark at night (thanks to some light management policies) it is in Sweetwater. Better than I expected on both counts.

[Wold Chamberlain]

I wanted to add experience on commute times after 5 months here inside Sweetwater - April/May/June/July/August 2013.

Time from Sweetwater to Pennybacker Bridge on 360 - typically late rush hour - best case 22 minutes, worst case 27 minutes (worst case usually involves an accident on Bee Cave Road near 360). This is my regular commute. There have been zero times when traffic has been 'bad' on the return home, which for me is typically between 6pm-7pm.

Time from Sweetwater to Downtown Austin (3rd and Congress) when I've had meetings downtown in the morning or afternoon - best case 35 minutes, worst case 40 minutes (worst case usually involves the construction zone-left turn from TX-71 onto Southwest Parkway, which is being constructed so as to speed up that intersection).

[hound 109]

Thanks for posting the update. Good commute info.

[Wold Chamberlain]

For those of you who may be considering "west" (such as Sweetwater/Falconhead West/West Cypress Hills) vs. "north" (such as Cedar Park) - I wanted to relay that on more condensed rush-hour days, such as Fridays and holidays, I'm seeing a marked difference on my Waze app between heading west from 360/Lake Austin Bridge vs. north.

Yesterday, on Halloween, the commute time between 360/Lake Austin Bridge and Sweetwater, departing 360/Lake Austin at 4:30pm to make it home for trick-or-treating for our girls, proved to be 29 minutes against a 26 minute estimate by Waze, while the three best-case scenarios to Cedar Park (same distance -- 17 miles to Cedar Park vs. 17 miles to Sweetwater) were 1 hour 8 minutes, 1 hour 10 minutes and 1 hour 15 minutes per Waze. The three paths follow different routes, so no accidents - all were just busy.

The coworkers I share this office who live in Cedar Park or further north will regularly allow 1+ hours to get home on 'important' days like this to make what is effectively an equal-distance commute.

[paranode]

Thanks for this information. We're moving to the Senna Hills neighborhood off Bee Cave Rd and I was looking for info about the commute to downtown. If you can make it in 35-40 from Sweetwater then I should be in pretty decent shape.

[paul6835]

Originally Posted by karenjen

My husband and I really appreciate this thread. We are from Michigan, and are considering a job in the Great Hill/Arboretum area. We visited the Sweetwater development a couple of weeks ago, and were really impressed. We keep hearing from people that the commute is too long, and I know someone on this thread recommended against Sweetwater because it would take long to build out. We're feeling a bit conflicted.

I did that commute for 4 years from Falconhead. Best route is via bee cave road (2244). Depending on time of day you go in, SW Parkway to Mopac is a better route in, but never for route home. Typically it was 30 minutes in, 35-40 home. The trip home could hit 50 minutes at times. I would add 5-8 minutes from Sweetwater. The commute eventually got to me as did the distance to the city, so we moved in closer. I like the great restaurants, parks, Barton Springs, etc that Austin has to offer, so I've been thrilled with getting out of there. Its a nice area, just wasn't what I wanted. I'd certainly take it over Round Rock or the other northern suburbs if you want new housing.