Precinct 3 County Commissioner Valerie Covey hosted a ribbon cutting June 5 to celebrate the opening of Ronald Reagan Boulevard from Williams Drive to Hwy. 195.

The new section of roadway is two lanes wide and five miles long, said Connie Watson, Williamson County public affairs manager. Construction began in April 2011 and cost $9.6 million, according to a news release.

Work on the final phase of the Ronald Reagan Boulevard extension, from Hwy. 195 to CR 237, started May 2012 and is expected to be complete by the end of this year. The boulevard is intended to serve as an alternate to I-35, Covey said.