Another new road within Leander's transit-oriented development, or TOD, district is officially open to traffic—and soon, city officials hope, new development projects.

City, county and regional officials joined together March 1 to help celebrate the opening of Hero Way, a $6.59 million, 1.13-mile stretch of road between US 183 and Toll 183A. The roadway now connects Old FM 2243 from Nameless Road east to Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

The new roadway will be an important east-west connector for Leander, Mayor Chris Fielder said. The project has been on Leander's radar since 1999, he said, but state funding was not immediately available, so the city turned to Williamson County Commissioner Cynthia Long, who helped secure funding for the project.

During the ceremony, Long in turn gave credit to seven landowners who donated right of way property for the project. The county-financed project is also unique, she said, because it's the first project built entirely using concrete instead of asphalt.

"On the west side of the county, [the concrete] seems to last a really long," Long said, explaining the concrete surface will require less money for Leander to maintain, as the city is now responsible for overseeing Hero Way.

Lance Hughes, who was among the developers credited for providing land to Hero Way, told the three dozen people in attendance that the roadway is essential for guiding traffic through the TOD district.