The Hays County Commissioners Court and the San Marcos City Council signed onto an interlocal agreement at June 7 meetings for safety improvements to FM 621, also known as Staples Road. The project will add a turn lane on FM 621 at DeZavala Drive and sidewalks to connect DeZavala Drive to the Hills of Hays subdivision, according to agenda documents.

These improvements are additions to an existing project that is part of the Hays County 2016 Road Bond that contain various improvements along FM 621 that are split into multiple phases and come at the request of the city of San Marcos.

The county agreed to extend the road bond project limits to accommodate the request of the city and, in return, the city will pay for the sidewalk and additional turn lane to the tune of $289,366.

The county will be responsible for all other costs related to the rest of the project, as it is part of the 2016 bond.

The additional improvements fall within the first phase of the FM 621 project that is slated for an early 2023 completion.