No Lake-to-Lake Road
Home Owners Opposed to Lake-to-Lake Road (HOLLR) is a group of homeowners in Belton, Texas. Our purpose is twofold: 1. To raise public awareness of the adverse impact of the Lake-to-Lake Road (LTLR) plan. 2. To engage local, state, and federal decision makers to change the LTLR plan. Join us on Facebook.
Background. The LTLR is a joint plan by the City of Belton, the Killeen-Temple Metropolitan Planning Organization (KTMPO), and Tx DOT. The plan is to connect the Belton Lake Dam Road (2271) with U.S. Interstate 14 and Stillhouse Hollow Dam Rd (1670). The current proposal is to construct a 150 - 200 foot wide right-of-way (ROW), four-lane divided roadway that runs through or closely adjacent to five residential subdivisions; Red Rock Hills, The Bluff at Dunn's Hollow, Regatta Oaks, Dawson Ranch, and Highland Estates.
Impact. LTLR will produce consistent heavy traffic within 10-20 feet of many property boundaries. It will intersect three major residential streets. It will require the removal of hundreds of mature live oak trees. It will drastically diminish the neighborhood landscape appeal. The LTLR route through these moderately dense residential neighborhoods raises many concerns such as vehicular and pedestrian safety, increased crime, decreased privacy, noise pollution, air pollution, diminished neighborhood aesthetics, and property devaluation.
Solution. The City of Belton thoroughfare plan includes other north-south roadways connecting FM 439 and Interstate 14. These include the George Wilson Rd and Spring Canyon Rd extension plans. These roadways would provide efficient connections to I-14 without disrupting and degrading residential areas.
Conclusion. The LTLR proposal is a 20 year-old plan that seemed viable before hundreds of homes were built in the area. The City of Belton must re-evaluate this plan from an on-the-ground, homeowner perspective. Doing so will lead to the conclusion that the quality of life costs for this project far outweigh the potential benefits. The City of Belton should plan an alternate route around and not through our neighborhoods. Such a plan would be congruent with the city’s vision to be "The Community of Choice in Central Texas, providing an Exceptional Quality of Life."
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