State Highway 45 Southwest Gains Financial Approval From Transportation Commission

Members of the Hays County Commissioners Court expressed appreciation for the Texas Transportation Commission’s December 17 preliminary approval of financing for the portion of State Highway 45 that will connect FM 1626 in Hays County to Loop 1 in Travis County.

“The Commission’s action in the form of a loan of up to $60 million to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) to begin construction, coupled with the previous grant of $28.9 million from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), means that we are a major step closer to alleviating traffic congestion in some of the fastest growing areas of Texas – southwestern Travis County and northern Hays County,” said Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Jones. “This should keep us on track to start construction this summer. When the road is finished, traffic will have access to Loop 1, which was designed to handle large amounts of traffic, and will have a path that avoids congested, surface roads through neighborhoods.”

“This roadway will be one of the most environmentally sound and context-sensitive ones in Central Texas,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Will Conley, who also chairs the CAMPO Board, said. “The environmental precautions being taken are second to none, including safeguards to filter runoff so that it is cleaner than the water that naturally runs off into the greenbelt area that surrounds the roadway. There will also be a shared-use pedestrian and bike path way along the approximately 3.6 miles of four-lane divided toll-way.”