If you’ve been watching the local news lately, you’ve probably heard that Schlitterbahn is planning to build a water park in the Cedar Park area. It’s true. The company is trying to build it near the intersection of Parmer Lane and Whitestone Boulevard.he meeting poorly-disclosed meeting seemed to be a rubber stamp toward final approval.
The map below shows roughly where the park would be built. The area shaded in blue is about where it would go, near as I can tell from the newspaper sketch. It would take up 95 acres.
View Schlitterbahn in Cedar Park in a larger map
Cedar Park city officials announced the plans at the end of January. The City Council meeting for the project was only announced a day in advance, as if they were trying to keep it hushed. The Schlitterbahn water park could cost around $360 million to build, and it may bring as many as 1,000 jobs to the Cedar Park area — along with some major traffic headaches.
According to the proposed plans, the attraction would be completed and open for business sometime in 2012.
The question I have is this: How will they handle the traffic situation? Construction alone will create delays in one of the city’s busiest intersections. Anyone who commutes to work through that intersection knows how busy it has become in recent years. Unless the city of Cedar Park creates new off-ramps / on-ramps (specifically for park visitors), traffic could become a serious problem in that area. It could easily rival, or surpass, the construction mess in the Lakeline area from 2005 – 2008.
How Do You Feel About the Water Park?
I know how I feel about this: “Let me out of here now, before construction begins.” But I want to know how you feel about the Schlitterbahn project. Based on the comments I read on the Statesman website, there’s quite a bit of mixed reaction (as always). But there seem to be more people against the water park than for it. What do you think?
March 30th, 2010 at 9:17 am
We live Southeast of the 1431 and I-35 intersection. Traffic in that area has already gotten horrible because of the traffic coming to the Outlet Mall and the Ikea shopping area. I no longer take 1431 to get home, as it takes forever to get through there now. Let us now add a summer venue and weekend traffic will be insane. This is definitely something that is NOT good for the community. I’m really not shocked, though. This is slowly becoming the norm around here. Offering companies incentives for coming into the area. Making poor business decisions left and right. Big shock there…