The details
The county will host an open house Aug. 20 from 5-7 p.m. at 13476 Fitzhugh Road, Austin, to review a Fitzhugh Road safety study.
The event will provide updates on proposed safety improvements and give community members an opportunity to share input on planned upgrades along Fitzhugh Road between RM 12 and the Hays County line near Pauls Valley Road.
The proposed improvements were shaped by a safety study completed in spring 2024—funded through voter-approved 2016 Hays County bonds—and public feedback gathered in October 2024, according to the county.
Plans include additional road signs, radar speed reduction signs, vegetation maintenance, new pavement markings, guardrails, and upgrades to shoulders and intersections. However, funding for the $5 million design and construction phases has not yet been secured, as the project was originally slated to be funded through the overturned 2024 road bond.
The road carries an average of about 4,400 vehicles per day, according to the safety study. Over a five-year period, there were 54 crashes along the corridor, 46% of which were intersection-related.
The county is also evaluating potential upgrades at the high-crash locations identified in the safety study, including the Barton Creek crossing, the intersection of Fitzhugh Road at RM 12 and Fitzhugh Road at Trautwein Road.
Original plans indicated that the construction was anticipated to begin late 2026; however, this timeline is subject to change particularly in light of the lack of funding for the project.
Conceptual designs for these areas will be shared at the open house. All materials presented will be available online, and comments may be submitted in person or through the project website until Sept. 5.
Of note
This stretch of roadway is lined with breweries, wineries and residential homes.
Community members have raised safety concerns about Fitzhugh Road in recent years, as plans for a 5,000-person concert venue along the roadway move through the permitting process.
The proposed venue would be located at 14820 Fitzhugh Road near the intersection of Crumley Ranch and Trautwein roads.
“Fitzhugh Road is an unlit, narrow, winding, two-lane road with several [low water] crossings, no shoulders and limited visibility around many bends and turns,” according to a 2023 letter from community members to the Hays County Commissioners. “We believe the out-of-state developer behind this project simply does not understand—or has chosen to ignore—the burdens and risks posed by situating this type of facility on Fitzhugh Road.”
The county’s road improvement project aims to enhance safety, improve mobility and accommodate regional growth, according to a county news release.
