Nature Heights-to-Mormon Mill connector in bidding phase
Nature Heights Drive, which lies directly across from the Marble Falls Walmart on U.S. 281, could be extended all the way to Mormon Mill Road. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The city of Marble Falls is going out for construction bids on the long-awaited extension of Nature Heights Drive to Mormon Mill Road. Once complete, the connector will give residents another way to reach U.S. 281 and potentially alleviate traffic at other busy intersections.
The project consists of a 3,700-linear-foot extension from Nature Heights Drive to the intersection of Mormon Mill Road and Park Ridge Drive, cutting through a rugged hillside between the thoroughfares. Nature Heights Drive is currently just a short feeder road on the north side of Marble Falls, directly across from Walmart, but once the extension is complete, it will be a reliable way for residents to travel between the Mormon Mill area and U.S. 281.
An exact cost and timeline for the work have yet to be determined. The bidding process lasts until Oct. 28, and a contractor could be chosen by the Nov. 18 meeting of the Marble Falls City Council.
Once a contractor is picked, the project should be completed within 275 calendar days, according to Marble Falls City Engineer Jeff Prato.
“That might be enough time, or it might not,” he told DailyTrib.com. “We need to see what the contractors say.”
Prato explained why the extension is being built.
“The city doesn’t have a lot of connections between Mormon Mill and (U.S.) 281,” he said. “We’re hoping that, by constructing this road, we can alleviate traffic elsewhere.”
Prato is right. Currently, the only substantial ways to reach U.S. 281 from Mormon Mill are to take a winding path through West Oak Ridge Drive on the north side or the busy intersections farther south at Mission Hills Drive and Marble Heights Drive.
A Nature Heights Drive extension to Mormon Mill Road has been in the works for years.
“That plan for (Nature Heights) has been on our thoroughfare plan for well over 10 years,” Mayor John Packer told DailyTrib.com. “It’s just taken time to make it happen.”