Residents gathered with officials from Hays County, the City of Kyle, Seton Hospital and the Kyle Chamber of Commerce to officially open Dacy Lane to traffic with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

They were joined for the July 20 ceremony by staff from the project engineering firm LAN Inc. and Capital Excavation Co., which provided road construction services for the project.

The 1.35-mile stretch of road connects Goforth and Bebee roads and Seton Hays Hospital. Construction increased the roadway to four lanes with dedicated sidewalks and a center turn lane in some areas.

Students traveling to Lehman High School will soon be able to ride on dedicated bike lanes as well, according to information from the county.

The project straightened two 90-degree turns on Dacy Lane and added dedicated right-turn lanes on Bebee Road.

The new 600-foot bridge raises the roadway 11 feet, which officials said will alleviate many flooding issues.

Hays County and the City of Kyle funded the construction. The original estimate for the work was $10 million, but the final cost came in at $7.87 million, about 21 percent under budget.