Bee Cave mayor: Vail Divide to open, bringing more traffic relief
Roads are the focus of Bee Cave over the next several months, and we look forward to improving traffic flow for Bee Cave residents. The City Council voted at a special session to take over the maintenance and operations of Vail Divide Road, which will improve flow for drivers heading to Lake Travis High School once school starts again in August. With the city taking over the road, we will be able to set the appropriate speed and expand the school zone to increase safety for both our walkers and drivers.
The road should open on June 8 if the City Council votes once again for the annex. This would give folks ample time over the summer to get used to driving on it and officers a chance to assess driving habits. For drivers in the area, we should note that the traffic signal at Vail Divide and Hamilton Pool Road will be flashing starting May 31 and will last for two weeks, per Texas Department of Transportation rules for driver awareness before it starts functioning as a normal traffic signal.
At the ribbon cutting on June 22, a special dedication is planned for one of Bee Cave’s oldest residents, Cecil Perkins, who was the previous owner of the land where the new portion of Vail Divide is located.
Later that day, we will be hosting a traffic town hall in cooperation with the city of Lakeway and TxDOT at the Lakeway Activity Center. The public is invited to attend and ask questions of elected officials and TxDOT representatives regarding their traffic concerns for the region. The town hall is slated to begin at 6 p.m. but be sure to check out our website at beecavetexas.gov in the days leading up to it in the event of any schedule changes.
We have another road that will start construction tentatively in December. The Pearl development off Bee Cave Parkway is expected to break ground this summer. Per the agreement they made with the City Council, the developers will be adding a right turn lane on that portion of Bee Cave Parkway as well as a traffic signal, which they plan to start working on once they’ve completed their utilities installation.
Don’t worry, it's not all work and no play this summer! We have a fantastic lineup of activities and events, all for free, right here in the heart of Bee Cave throughout the summer months. We kicked it off already with a free beer tasting as we get input from residents and elected officials on the taste profile of an official Bee Cave beer, created specifically for us by Real Ale Brewing. Stay tuned for a fun Fall event, unveiling the recipe and our new city logo.
Additionally, our Bee Cave Public Library summer reading program kicks off this month with a falconer on the lawn of the Hill Country Galleria. It will host events for kids of all ages through June and July; check out beecavelibrary.org to see which ones require free registration.
Additionally, the Hill Country Galleria says its splash pad should be up and running before we get to the dog days of summer as a fun way to cool off after library events and shopping. There isn’t an exact date yet as to when it will open as there are still some parts to fix, but we’ll share whatever information we get on our city of Bee Cave Facebook page.
Finally, mark your calendars for July 19 through Aug. 13 when Magnolia Musical Theatre will stage its inaugural and free Broadway-style performance of "Beauty and the Beast." No registration required, but you’ll want to give yourself some time before showtime to snag a good seat on the Hill Country Galleria lawn. Shows will run on Wednesdays through Sunday nights starting at 8 p.m.
If you have a kid looking for a summer job (or you are looking for one), make sure you check out edc.beecavetexas.gov and click on job fairs. We just had our annual job fair at Lake Travis High School with more than 1,200 students attending and more than 50-area businesses participating, offering great job opportunities in Bee Cave over the summer. There are plenty of positions still to fill. It’s a great way to support your community and earn some extra cash this summer.
Look forward to more updates in the coming months on our Central Park Master Plan, new library and new police station!
Kara King is the mayor of Bee Cave.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bee Cave Mayor King: Vail Divide to open, bringing traffic relief
