Completed RM 620 project in Round Rock makes driving easier

Fernanda Figueroa, Austin American-Statesman
Updated ·2 min read
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A $24.7 million road project intended to reduce congestion, improve safety and enhance mobility in western Round Rock opened this week after four years of construction.

The RM 620 Roundabout Project is a partnership between the city, the Texas Department of Transportation and Williamson County. Round Rock and the county provided $10 million and $4 million, respectively, to develop the project, and TxDOT paid the $27.4 million in construction costs. Work on the project began in March 2020.

"The long-awaited RM 620 project is a key milestone for our overall transportation network," Mayor Craig Morgan said. "It’s also a testament to the power of partnerships in getting projects to the finish line."

Work on the $24.7 million RM 620 Roundabout Project began in 2020 and was completed this week. It is intended to improve safety and enhance mobility in western Round Rock.
Work on the $24.7 million RM 620 Roundabout Project began in 2020 and was completed this week. It is intended to improve safety and enhance mobility in western Round Rock.

The project stretches along RM 620 from Interstate 35 to Deep Wood Drive. Improvements include construction of an overpass from Chisholm Trail to North Lake Creek Drive to allow drivers to avoid the railroad crossing, a roundabout at Chisholm Trail, U-turns, frontage roads and widened lanes.

City officials said the frontage roads at Lake Creek make it easier for pedestrians with signal-controlled crossings. They said the overpass, which opened January 2023, allows drivers to avoid the railroad crossing and improves traffic flow.

Sara Bustilloz, a city spokesperson, said roundabouts, such as the one that opened this week, enhance safety as they force drivers to slow down, reducing the number of high-speed vehicle crashes.

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Bustilloz said the city has heard from residents that traffic flow has improved in the area.

Megan Burniston, 36, said she has lived in Round Rock for 25 years and did her best to avoid the area because of the traffic. She said driving through the corridor when school was released would mean 40 minutes stuck in traffic. Now, she says, it is less than 15 minutes.

Burniston said that when construction started, she was concerned whether the project would help at all. Now she says it makes driving through the area convenient and easy.

"I was always worried at that crossing before when it was just the four lanes over the train tracks," she said. "But it has improved safety immensely with all the sidewalks. Every time I go through the roundabout, there's very little traffic."

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Completed RM 620 project in Round Rock improves traffic