The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization voted Feb. 10 to remove federal funding from the proposed SH 45 SW project—a move that state and county officials say will help them fund the project locally and ideally move quickly through the environmental process.

The CAMPO policy board voted to transfer $8.62 million that had been designated for building SH 45 SW between Hays and Travis counties toward the toll project on US 183 South.

Outgoing director Maureen McCoy said these funds were awarded to the Texas Department of Transportation in 1999, and TxDOT had requested the transfer.

CAMPO policy board chair Will Conley, who is also a Hays County Commissioner, said transferring the funds allows the state and Hays and Travis counties to work with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to identify the best solution for developing SH 45 SW. Conley said that there is unanimous support in Hays to build the roadway and that he believes this is the best process to accomplish that.

"There are state highway projects that are going through similar processes that our state is doing currently on this where they're mirroring those federal processes and the state institutions are going through those exercises," Conley said. "They seem to work out well, they seem to be environmentally sound [and] they seem to be responsible."

Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe said the Commissioners Court also voted unanimously to support the project at its Oct. 22 meeting.

"We have figured out a way to put up some cash and issue some bonds so the CTRMA can get this done," he said. "Travis County is committed to spend whatever amount of money is required to do the project right, which means sufficient environmental protections."

However, Austin City Councilmen Chris Riley and Bill Spelman, who both sit on CAMPO's policy board, voted against the transfer of funds. Riley said city of Austin staff members do not support CAMPO's stance on the issue because they believe the project needs careful environmental analysis.

"They know that a state environmental study will not be as rigorous or robust as the requirements of the federal National Environmental Policy Act procedures," Riley said. "The city has a policy to support a comprehensive review and careful consideration of infrastructure improvements in this environmentally sensitive area."

Bill Bunch, executive director of the Save Our Springs Alliance, spoke out against the fund transfer during the meeting. SOS is an agency dedicated to protecting the Edwards Aquifer and its recharge zone, which goes under the area where SH 45 SW would be built. Bunch said he would like it to be a federal project and undergo the stringent environmental studies that occur when a project uses federal dollars.

"Now we're abandoning these federal dollars to once again try to dodge the environmental analysis, [and] if any place in our region needs a good, honest study, [it] is here," he said. "Please don't do this. Let's continue with the process that we have."

Other actions

Also during its Feb. 10 meeting, the policy board approved hiring Joseph Cantalupo from consulting firm K Friese & Associates as interim executive director until the agency hires a replacement for McCoy, who announced her retirement Feb. 3. McCoy will stay on board as senior adviser through May 31.

Conley said he would like to fulfill the position in four months, but the agency has six months to complete the task. The contract with K Friese is for $156,000, and Cantalupo will provide support to CAMPO's boards and staff.

"K Friese was recommended by our executive committee because they employ our past former director. who left this organization in very good standing and brings tremendous amount of institutional knowledge of the MPO since he used to direct it," he said.

The board also approved a second request from TxDOT to use 26.04 million transportation development credits, which amounts to about $26.04 million in state funding, for the US 183 South project, also known as the Bergstrom Expressway. That project is undergoing an environmental study and would add toll lanes between US 290 and Hwy. 71.

TDCs are a federal financing tool for states and do not require a local match of funds. States earn credits when it or a toll authority funds a capital transportation investment with toll revenues from existing facilities.