Williamson County has two proposed plans for safety and mobility improvements on the Great Oaks bridge spanning Brushy Creek and Brushy Creek/Hairy Man Road, as well as plans for improvements to Brushy Creek/Hairy Man Road.

The Brushy Creek Road/Hairy Man road project limits includes 2.4 miles of roadway from Bushy Bend Drive to Sam Bass Road. As part of the project, which is estimated to cost $2.5 million, the county will complete a traffic study and preliminary evaluation of possible safety improvements to that section of roadway, said Connie Watson, Williamson County public affairs manager.

The Great Oaks Drive bridge improvements project is expected to cost $5 million and will also address safety issues at the intersection of Great Oaks Drive and Brushy Creek/Hairy Man Road.

Watson said safety concerns during flooding are the main reason for the improvements to the Great Oaks Drive bridge. Increased mobility for pedestrians and vehicles could also be possible through the project, she said.

One option for the bridge repair is to create a four-lane bridge that would be built above the 100-year floodplain. The bridge would have a similar design to the current layout and could be constructed at a low cost, according to Williamson County Road Bond Program documents. The plan could affect Shirley McDonald Park, require traffic signals and affect traffic patterns during construction.

The other option is a two-lane bridge design that is also constructed above the 100-year floodplain. Great Oaks Drive would be raised up with a curved ramp connecting to Hairy Man Road. This plan would allow the roadway to be widened to four lanes in the future, would not require traffic signals until 2030 on Great Oaks Drive and would not affect Shirley McDonald Park. However, the plan would require Great Oaks Drive to be downsized to two traffic lanes during construction, according to the bond program.

The traffic study for both projects could be completed late this summer, and the project design is expected be completed by early 2017 with construction starting in summer 2017. Funds for design and construction of both projects will come from the 2013 Williamson County Road Bond.

For more information, maps and project details, visit the Williamson County Road Bond website.