Two Hays County Commissioners Receive Awards For New Highway 45 Southwest

Hays County Courthouse, TX – Two Hays County officials received awards, and others in Hays and Travis counties were publicly thanked at a construction kick-off event that highlighted the perseverance and dedication it has taken to ensure State Highway 45 Southwest is built.

Construction is planned to begin November 8.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Jones and Precinct 3 Commissioner Will Conley were presented with plaques at the family-friendly celebration Sunday in Manchaca sponsored by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority.

Signs at the entrance to the event thanked them as well as County Judge Bert Cobb, M.D., for their support. Hays County has pledged a $5 million contribution toward road construction costs of approximately $80 million.

First approved by Travis County voters in 1997 but delayed by opposition from environmentalists, the roadway will relieve traffic congestion along Brodie and Slaughter Lanes in Austin.

The new State Highway 45 Southwest will also allow travelers to and from FM 1626 in Hays County direct access to Loop 1 (MoPac) in southwest Austin.

New environmental design and engineering features will make runoff along the road cleaner than what naturally occurs now, according to design engineers.

Travis County Precinct 3 Commissioner Gerald Daugherty, who has also championed the road, thanked the public, especially those who live along and near Brodie Lane, for their support of the project.

Much of the roadway will run through Austin water quality protection land which precludes any development along what will now be built as a 4-lane toll road since road construction funding at the state level has dwindled since the road was first approved.

There will also be an ADA-compliant shared-use path alongside the road that will become part of the future Violet Crown Trail. For more information, visit www.sh45sw.com.