The Williamson County Commissioners Court discussed the next steps for completing road bond projects during a regular meeting Feb. 14, in preparation for further conversations the elected officials will have on Feb. 17 regarding infrastructure and capital improvement projects.
The court discussed the possibility of delaying projects outlined in the voter-approved bond program from 2019—a $412 million package meant to fund new construction and expansion of roads. According to Precinct 2 County Commissioner Cynthia Long, the cost of right-of-way has more than doubled since the election while construction costs have “dramatically increased” due to inflation.
“We are at a place where we’ve got to make some decisions on how we move forward, whether we pause construction on some of the projects that have been engineered [or] whether we look at other funding resources,” she said.
Since the county began its road bond program in 2000, four successful elections have resulted in more than 197 completed projects and the construction of nearly 877 lane miles. According to the county’s January construction summary report, six projects from the 2019 road bond are in the design phase, and one project has been completed in Precinct 1. In Precinct 2, seven projects are in design, one project is under construction, and one project completed. Precinct 3 has six projects in the design process, five projects underway, and four projects completed. Lastly, Precinct 4 has 18 projects in the design stages, eight under construction and six have wrapped up.
