Comal County held a groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 29 for the construction of a new jail and sheriff’s office renovation project in which the existing jail will be gutted and turned into office space. The site of the $76 million project is located at South Water Lane at I-35 in New Braunfels and was approved by voters in November 2015. The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2020.

“This is a much-needed project, given the growth we’re experiencing in Comal County and in our jail population,” Sheriff Mark Reynolds said in a statement. “This will be an important project for continuing to keep our residents safe.”

The new jail will hold 566 inmates with room to expand to more than 900. It will operate on a pod system in which staff will supervise housing pods and exercise yards from a second-floor control room. The new model provides greater safety and efficiency for jail staff, officials said.

The current jail, which was constructed in 1985, has 144 beds and holds 337 inmates in a traditional single-hall design.

The county finalized designs with HDR Architects and hired Broaddus and Associates to serve as project manager. A joint venture of the Yates and Sundt companies will serve as construction manager at risk to ensure the budget is met.