Sam Bass Road, from RM 1431 to Wyoming Springs Drive, is set to be widened into a three-lane roadway within the next year in a continued effort by Williamson County officials to ease traffic congestion and to enhance public safety.
The details
According to county documents, the 2.6 miles of Sam Bass Road, also known as Corridor H, will be reconstructed into a three-lane roadway, with two 11 feet wide, a 12 feet wide continuous middle lane, one 4 feet wide, one 2 feet wide shoulder and a 10 feet wide shared-use pathway for pedestrians and bicyclists. This reconstruction also addresses the current age and deterioration of the existing roadway.
Construction began in spring 2023 and is expected to be completed in fall 2025.
Sam Bass Road improvements include:
- Installing signals and crosswalks at Great Oaks Drive (interim signal installed spring 2021)
- Installing signals, crosswalks and dedicated right and left-turn lanes at Walsh Ranch Boulevard (interim signal installed spring 2021)
- Improving signal timing at Wyoming Springs Drive
- Adding an additional left-turn lane to westbound RM 1431 (completed August 2020)
- Planning for a future six-lane configuration
Construction funding for the first interim phase of improvements were financed through the voter-approved 2019 Williamson County Road Bond Program.
The context
According to county documents, the expansion of Corridor H is designed to provide a safer road system and to keep pace with population growth.
To allow traffic to continue to flow along the roadway, construction is occurring on a new alignment. This new alignment keeps the existing roadway open, reduces traffic impacts during construction and allows for future expansion once the existing roadway is removed.
According to county documents, the twin improvements of intersections and expansion into a three-lane roadway is anticipated to address existing needs, but growth projections and traffic models indicate that future expansion will be needed in the future. The current three-lane schematic supports future expansion to six lanes, which is consistent with the city of Round Rock’s Transportation Plan and the Williamson County Long-Range Transportation Plan. Currently, there is no set timeline or funding set aside for the six lane expansion, which will not be built until the need arises or funding becomes available for right-of-way acquisition and construction.
