State highway crews complete RM 2222 road widening project

The Texas Department of Transportation marked the completion of the RM 2222 widening project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at United Heritage Credit Union in Four Points on Oct. 29. The roughly $24 million project added an additional travel lane in each direction, intersection improvements, and accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists, according to TxDOT.

The newly completed project added a southbound travel lane between the new RM 620 bypass road and Sitio Del Rio Boulevard and a northbound lane from Ribelin Ranch Drive to River Place Boulevard, according to TxDOT.

Center medians with turn bays were added along RM 2222, and sidewalks were constructed on both sides of RM 2222 between McNeil Drive and the RM 620 bypass road, a statement from TxDOT said. Turn lanes for RM 2222 were also added on McNeil Drive and River Place Boulevard, according to the statement.

After breaking ground on the project in 2018, a yearlong delay resulted from the relocation of a utility on the widening project. The northbound bypass lane opened over the summer, and the construction of a new bypass road that broke ground in 2019 is scheduled to finish early next year, according to TxDOT.

“We’re already seeing the benefits of this project on traffic flow and improving safety,” TxDOT Austin district engineer Tucker Ferguson said. “Once the bypass is completed, that will work hand-in-hand with this widening project to really get traffic moving more safely, more conveniently, to keep everybody safe on this whole corridor.”

TxDOT contributed $24.3 million to the project, and the city of Austin contributed $203,500. Austin council members and state representatives spoke at the event, including District 10 Council Member Alison Alter, who said RM 2222 is an important thoroughfare for area citizens.

“These improvements will help Austinites who make use of 2222 get where they need to go more quickly and safely,” Alter said. “This area is one with a high wildfire risk, and in the event of a major wildfire, it’s important to have roadways that can serve as effective evacuation routes, making these improvements that much more important.”

Though the area is seeing improvements in traffic flow from this project alone, construction on the RM 620 bypass must be completed before citizens really see the benefits of the projects, TxDOT Public Information Officer Brad Wheelis said.

“Not only is this a mobility improvement, but it’s also a safety improvement project,” said Ashby Johnson, executive director of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. “As this area continues to grow, TxDot is helping facilitate that growth and doing it in a safe manner.”