Williamson County breaks ground on CR 245 expansion

Williamson County broke ground on the reconstruction of CR 245 on Jan. 20, starting dirt work on the nearly $7 million construction project to turn the existing two-lane road into an interim three-lane roadway.

The new three-lane CR 245—which will span from RM 2339 to Ronald Reagan Boulevard near Sun City in Georgetown—will include a center turn lane and right-turn lanes at specific locations. It will be expanded into a six-lane roadway in the future.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said the project was not originally on the list of construction to come from the 2019 road bond program, but after looking at the type of growth expected for the city and area in the coming years, she determined CR 245 would become an important roadway.

“This is one of the projects I felt was needed right now because of the expansion of Sun City that continues as well as the expansion of homes around the area,” she said at the groundbreaking. “For example, Parmer Ranch is putting in a lot of homes, and they’re going in right now as well as the development that will happen on the other side of Ronald Reagan.”

With designs by Bridgefarmer & Associates Inc., the county contracted with Joe Bland Construction LP to build the road. The city of Georgetown has helped out by putting in a water line and knocking down some trees to get the project started, and the county anticipates construction to wrap up by spring 2024.

“In the meantime, we’re going to be closing down a portion of the road in order to build a much-needed bridge because of the drainage that we find on this project,” Covey said. “We’re going to make it as short and as painless as possible. The road will still be accessible in different directions. You just can’t go through for that short period of time.”

Updates on road closures will be announced as construction progresses.