Buda, Hays County unveil preliminary routes for SH 45 gap project

The backstory

SH 45 was originally pitched in the '80s as the “Outer Austin Parkway” that circled Austin; however, the full project was never realized due to financial constraints and environmental concerns, said Stacey Benningfield, the SH 45 project manager and longtime transportation professional.

“What has happened over time is that bits and pieces have been constructed,” Benningfield said. “This is the remaining gap. And it's just now rising to the point of being studied.”

The context

The SH 45 gap project has raised alarm bells from locals and Travis County leaders since a feasibility study was approved in August 2022.

Opponents of the project cited it would harm the Edwards Aquifer and reroute an influx of truck traffic on MoPac.

Benningfield said a portion of the roadway would be built over the aquifer’s transition zone, a less-sensitive area compared to the recharge zone where the western portion of SH 45 is already built. Benningfield and her team are still researching how to build the roadway in the most “environmentally sensitive” way possible. If the project advances to the next planning stage, it will undergo 3-5 years of environmental studies and investigations.

What’s next

In the coming months, Benningfield and her team will undergo a traffic impact analysis to understand how filling the gap will impact traffic on MoPac and other local roadways. The study will be completed in late spring or early summer 2024 and be presented to the public at a third open house.