Liberty Hill approves $934K to move utility lines for Hwy. 29 widening

Liberty Hill officials gave the green light in late June to fund $933,609 to move wastewater mains as part of a project that will expand a stretch of Hwy. 29, a partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation.

Two-minute impact

TxDOT is currently finalizing plans to widen Hwy. 29 from CR 322 in Bertram to the Butler Farms subdivision to allow for the addition of a middle turn lane, city documents state. During the design process, the state determined that the city’s wastewater mains would be in the way of that project.

Because Liberty Hill built the utility lines within the state’s right of way, the city is responsible for moving them, Deputy City Manager Brandon Pritchett said. Liberty Hill City Council approved an advanced funding agreement June 24, allowing the city and state to combine the work each is responsible for into one project.

The city will transfer the funds to the state ahead of the construction bidding period, and the state will select one contractor to perform all of the work on the project.

Combining the projects will “maximize cost efficiencies” and “minimize any potential modifications to the design that may need to happen as a result of TxDOT’s project,” city documents state.

Funding the project

The project will be funded by the city’s sewer fund, Pritchett said. The money in the sewer fund comes primarily from sewer impact fees, which are one-time fees charged to new developments and used to pay for infrastructure improvements.