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FAQ

Dear neighbors of Oak Hill.

The Oakhill Parkway will be breaking ground in Oak Hill towards the end of this year- 2021. Our commute will be disrupted by the following: These points are from TxDot:

Travel delays
Lane shifts, closures and detours
Temporary cross street closures
An increase in noise, vibration, dust and lighting, including during night work
An increase in traffic on the frontage roads and neighborhood streets
Adjustments to business access
Shifts in the schedule of activities
Minor changes to the project design
Temporary water/power disruptions

Colorado River Constructors (CRC), a subcontractor of TxDOT, wants to put a Wet Batch Concrete Plant on the ACC Pinnacle Campus. Imagine an industrial plant next to homes, restaurants, daycare establishments!

CRC doesn't have to put it there. They want to because it will save them money. They don't care about the added disruption of our lives described in the FAQ below. Please take a moment to learn how this plant will impact our community.

When will Oak Hill Parkway begin being built? According to the website www.oakhillparkway.com late 2021 they will begin major activity on US 290 West and US 290 East Segments. Major activity on SH 71 will begin mid-2022.
When will the concrete plant be fully operational? Concrete River Construction, the contractor who owns the plant, will begin operations as soon as they begin the major activity late 2021. However, CRC does not have permission to build their plant on the ACC Pinnacle Campus. Area residents are campaigning to move the plant away from homes and businesses.
How long will the concrete plant be used at the ACC campus? According to oakhillparkway.com they estimate it will be open to traffic in 2025-2026. How many construction endeavors get completed on time?
Why are they building a wet batch concrete plant at the ACC campus and not somewhere away from residential neighborhoods? In a meeting with Oak Hill residents held in April 2021, CRC stated because it is close to the construction site. They also said if they cannot put it at ACC, they will be put it at the Y interchange or at HWY 290 and Scenic Brook Dr. Both of these locations are very close to homes and will require TxDOT to tear down many trees.
Will the plant be operating at night and/or weekends? Both CRC and Oakhillparkway.com state the plant will be operating periodically 24 hours a day. This does not include the noise from as many as 200 trucks a day- that is one truck every 7 minutes or so.
How loud will the equipment be? According to CRC, their equipment is as loud as 45/50 decibels for living 200 yards away. The closest apartments are 85 feet away. The sound of producing wet cement will be loud enough to cause hearing damage over time. Compounded by the plant operating 24 hours a day will interfere with everyday activities.
What kind of materials will be stored? Concrete is made with broken stone, gravel, sand, water and cement. Cement is the chemically active element and contains nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and monoxide. When exposed to these elements can cause serious health issues. See EPA website https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/cement-manufacturing-enforcement-initiative . Toxins from the piles of raw materials include silicates and coal fly ash, associated with increased incidences of asthma and heart attacks. If this were not a government project, CRC would have to be 440 yards or more away from residences. The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality, in a bewildering departure from logic, ignores the 440-yard distance recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration if the project is a government one. You’re not safer.
Where else could they put the plant? Tex-Mix Ready Mix Concrete has a facility at 9607 Shallowford Rd, Austin, TX 78736.

If any or all of these items concern you, please write to the decision makers and apprise them of your anxiety.

We also have a Go Fund Me page solely dedicated to this cause. If you can, would you help?