Williamson County's plan for managing its roadways has shifted from a strategy of staying ahead of traffic demands to one of simply trying not to fall behind.
According to recent estimates, Williamson County's population has grown more than 82 percent since 2000, and in September, Forbes Magazine ranked the county the fastest-growing in the nation. County and city officials believe the influx of more than 200,000 residents during the past 13 years—with no slowdown in sight—may overwhelm the capacity of county roads and result in gridlock similar to Austin's.
Fortunately for local government planning officials, based on recent election results, a majority of county voters have voiced a willingness to dedicate tax dollars to road improvements. On Nov. 5, Williamson County Proposition 1—a $275 million road bonds package—passed with nearly 64 percent voter approval.
"Nobody likes debt, but people like to be able to get from point A to point B in a reasonable amount of time," Williamson County Precinct 4 Commissioner Ron Morrison said.
Morrison's district includes several traffic corridors in East Round Rock and Hutto that are slated for large-scale housing and commercial development, including east University Boulevard, the SH 130 corridor, and the Paloma Lakes and Siena municipal utility districts off of CR 110.
"I am afraid we may spend this money just to stay even," he said. "So the bond package from that standpoint is very important. Once you get behind [development] ... it becomes impossible to ever keep up."
Road to the present
With the passage of the November bond proposition, Williamson County taxpayers have dedicated $853 million toward road improvements since 2000.
In 2000, Williamson County voters approved a $350 million road bond package, followed by an additional $228 million six years later. Those bonds have gone into developing the SH 130, SH 45 and Loop 1 toll systems; widening and safety improvements of RM 620, Hwy. 79 and CR 108; the soon-to-be completed O'Connor Drive extension; and many more projects throughout the county.
"It was essential to pass bonds to preserve the mobility and safety of our transportation system," said Robert Daigh, Williamson County senior director of infrastructure. "Almost every major road in the county has been touched by the road [bond] program."
Those projects, however, have nearly depleted all of the county's road bond funds, Daigh said. Recognizing the need for new revenue to support road construction, the Commissioners Court appointed a bond advisory committee in March to review the county's transportation plan, gather information from local planning officials and draft a recommendation.
On July 23 the committee presented the court with a $346 million bond election proposal that included more than $300 million for road construction and $45 million for park improvements. The court subsequently reduced the road and parks packages to $275 million and $40 million, respectively, and on Aug. 5 called the election.
Bonds are essentially interest-bearing loans funded by investors. The interest rates are determined by current lending conditions as well as the borrower's credit rating. Williamson County Auditor David Flores believes the county will be able to afford the new debt—without increasing its property tax rate—through increasing property values, revenue from new developments and taking advantage of low interest rates.
"The 2006 bond package was a good example of how we stabilized the debt by issuing the bonds in increments," Flores said. "Our original plan [will] be to issue [the new bonds] $80 million per year for four or five years."
Paving a strategy
Before drafting its recommendation, the bond advisory committee met with traffic planning officials from the county's municipalities, including Round Rock and Hutto. The meetings allowed the cities to present strategic road plans, estimated project costs and provide a framework on how much local funding they might be able to commit.
"We kept in mind what was regional [needs]—not what is localized Round Rock traffic," Round Rock Transportation Director Gary Hudder said.
For Round Rock officials, who have seen the city's population rise by more than 40,000 residents since 2000—and predict a further increase of approximately 50,000 residents by 2030—the need to develop new arterials through the city is immediate.
"[RM 620] would be the first one I would like to get started on," Williamson County Precinct 1 Commissioner Lisa Birkman said. "We have the right of way and the first part of the project already completed."
Widening has already begun on 2 miles of RM 620 between Cornerwood and Wyoming Springs drives, and plans call for continuing the project east to where the road meets I-35.
With only $21 million of the estimated total $35 million cost accounted for, however, it may be years before the next phase of RM 620 is started, much less completed, Hudder said. The first road projects likely to begin as a result of the bonds are the widening of University Boulevard and the extension of North Mays Street, Hudder said.
Pathways to development
For the areas of East Round Rock and Hutto, the road bond package has arrived on the cusp of new residential and commercial developments.
According to Hutto officials, the leading road improvement priority is to add northbound SH 130 frontage road sections between FM 685 and Limmer Loop.
"SH 130 is probably the highest priority right now in order to help with economic development," Hutto Assistant City Manager Micah Grau said.
Morrison, however, said because the project will require the coordination of the Texas Department of Transportation, the county and city, it may take years to develop.
"That is going to be huge for Hutto," he said. "If I had my way, I would snap my finger and wave a wand and it would all start tomorrow—but there is a little bit more to it than that."
Instead, Morrison sees widening and safety improvements to CR 110 as a more attainable first priority for his district. The narrow, two-lane road could add thousands of daily commuters in the next few years with the ongoing developments within the Paloma Lakes and Siena MUDs.
"The [housing] projects are being developed out there as we speak" Morrison said. "I'm just hoping we will survive until we can start construction hopefully sometime next summer."
Birkman believes residents and voters understand the impact of a well-managed road system.
"It is important to continue to build the infrastructure ... to have the great quality of life we have here," she said. "That is why [voters] supported the bonds. One of the reasons [businesses] are willing to move here is because of our investment in infrastructure—some other areas don't offer that."
