Funding pulled for SH45 SW

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Southwest is one of the more environmentally sensitive areas, is it not?

I'm far from being a "strict environmentalist", but I do think it would be nice to think ahead a bit about the consequences of our actions beyond "I want to live there".

Did you know that most of Georgetown, Texas and Willamson County is in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge and Contributing Zones? Most people don't.

Warning: This pdf map of the Georgetown areas is slow to load.
http://georgetown.org/gis/gis_pdfmap...rdsAquifer.pdf

[TexasHorseLady]

That would be west of I35, presumably (not going to test my broadband's patience this evening)? Yes, the Balcones Fault runs pretty much right down I35 (and our place is half Austin Chalk - the back pasture and half the middle pasture) and half Houston Black, AND my daughter was seriously interested in geology, so I'm pretty familiar with it.

However, that seems something of a nonsequitor in this discussion - what's your point?

[eepstein]

OMG, now Austin will have it's second full set of flyovers!! (the other one being mopac and 183) WHOO HOOO! This is an exciting time for Austin. Moving into the 20th century! Im sure Houston and Dallas are closely watching this monumental event so they can learn about building freeways and flyovers!!! GOOD JOB AUSTIN!!!

Originally Posted by jobert

on a positive note, I drove through the intersection of I-35 and Ben White, and noticed crews and equipment in the middle of building the remaining flyovers!! whooo-hooo!!

This means: No more back up, then exiting Ben White, then sitting on the access road, then waiting at a light to turn right, then getting on the ramp to go southbound on I-35 anymore!, and no more of the same when I go to and from ABIA either!

So far, the holes have been dug, and rebar lowered into them for the concrete piers, the ground has been leveled to receive the flyover at the ramp connections, and the column rebar frames are on site as well. I was shocked at how much work they've done in such a short amount of time. It should be done by the end of the year, if not sooner.

This will make it a whole lot easier to travel everywhere else from south Austin.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

That would be west of I35, presumably (not going to test my broadband's patience this evening)? Yes, the Balcones Fault runs pretty much right down I35 (and our place is half Austin Chalk - the back pasture and half the middle pasture) and half Houston Black, AND my daughter was seriously interested in geology, so I'm pretty familiar with it.

However, that seems something of a nonsequitor in this discussion - what's your point?

How is it a non sequitur? You brought up the south part of town being environmentally sensitive in this discussion. He was just following up on your point by saying that actually much of the Austin area is "environmentally sensitive." So the question is really, what was your point? That we shouldn't develop SH45 because of that? Then his point might be that how come everyone is up in arms about developing down here but there isn't the same uproar when development is undertaken up there.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

how come everyone is up in arms about developing down here but there isn't the same uproar when development is undertaken up there.

Because the area south of the river is actually worth saving.

[TexasHorseLady]

As I pointed out to CptnRon on a thread he started specifically regarding the Edwards Aquifer, Georgetown instituted regulations some years ago to protect the aquifer (resulting in some major changes in some planned subdivisions west of I35, but not a lot of noise), and, in fact, Williamson County local governments preceded Travis County in asking the Texas Water Quality Control Board to establish regulations to protect it on a county-wide basis. Travis County is just louder about it! Williamson, until recently more of a rural county, is more matter of fact about doing what should be done, and seems to get less argument about it, as well, for some reason.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

As I pointed out to CptnRon on a thread he started specifically regarding the Edwards Aquifer, Georgetown instituted regulations some years ago to protect the aquifer (resulting in some major changes in some planned subdivisions west of I35, but not a lot of noise), and, in fact, Williamson County local governments preceded Travis County in asking the Texas Water Quality Control Board to establish regulations to protect it on a county-wide basis. Travis County is just louder about it! Williamson, until recently more of a rural county, is more matter of fact about doing what should be done, and seems to get less argument about it, as well, for some reason.

My point was it was an error to call his post a non sequitur.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

As I pointed out to CptnRon on a thread he started specifically regarding the Edwards Aquifer, Georgetown instituted regulations some years ago to protect the aquifer (resulting in some major changes in some planned subdivisions west of I35, but not a lot of noise), and, in fact, Williamson County local governments preceded Travis County in asking the Texas Water Quality Control Board to establish regulations to protect it on a county-wide basis. Travis County is just louder about it! Williamson, until recently more of a rural county, is more matter of fact about doing what should be done, and seems to get less argument about it, as well, for some reason.

They may have preceded Travis Co. but what are they actually doing on the planning side? From the look of that map posted above lots of Cedar Park and Leander are in the contributing zone. Future growth in Liberty Hill will also be in this zone.

[TexasHorseLady]

Not sure what Cedar Park and Leander are doing beyond the county regs; I'll have to check. I do know that Georgetown took action regarding it.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

That would be west of I35, presumably (not going to test my broadband's patience this evening)? Yes, the Balcones Fault runs pretty much right down I35 (and our place is half Austin Chalk - the back pasture and half the middle pasture) and half Houston Black, AND my daughter was seriously interested in geology, so I'm pretty familiar with it.

However, that seems something of a nonsequitor in this discussion - what's your point?

You are being obtuse and you know it.

NO, its not just the areas West of IH35, its almost all of the Round Rock City Limits East of IH35 as well.

My point was in response to your saying, "Southwest is one of the more environmentally sensitive areas, is it not?"

No its not, the only thing sensitive about the SW Austin is that it is in the Edwards Aquifer, but no more so then Round Rock and Georgetown and less so then most of Williamson County.

I have built buildings on Austin and Georgetown. Georgetown had NO environmental protection regulations at all, hardly even had any building codes when I built one of the newer dormitories on the campus at Southwestern University. And that was well after Austin was enforcing environmental regulations on every construction project. I just checked thier current ordinances and permit requirements for Georgetown. They still do not have any site development environmental protection requirements that I could find in their manual of development regulations, no erosion control, no sedimentation, no filtration or detention pond requirements. It is pretty much a cake walk compared to Austin's requirements.

Travis County has hardly any environmental regulations because it almost ALL falls into City of Austin City Limits or ETJ jurisdiction, so they let the City enforce it.