SH 45 SW environmental study ends, project "cleared for construction"

Updated 10:58 a.m. March 6 In a joint statement with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, Texas Department of Transportation staffers called SH 45 SW "cleared for construction." "Our team of engineers and scientists has done a great job of studying the issues and finding ways to reduce impacts to the environment," said Carlos Swonke, TxDOT Environmental Affairs Division director, in the statement. "We're committed to a wide range of water quality protection measures and now we can move this project one step closer to construction." The Mobility Authority will design, construct, operate and maintain the facility, according to the statement. This project will provide an important connection for rapidly growing communities in southern Travis and northern Hays counties, and provide long-needed relief from cut-through traffic that has crippled roadways such as Slaughter Lane and Manchaca Road, which were not designed to handle the capacity, said Mobility Authority Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein. SH 45 SW will incorporate green design features, such as a shared-use path for bicycles and pedestrians and environmental protection measures, such as water quality ponds, into its final design, according to the statement. For more information, visit www.sh45sw.com. Original story, posted 2:41 p.m. March 5 The Texas Department of Transportation confirmed that it has finished its environmental review of SH 45 SW, thereby allowing the project to begin final design and construction. Carlos Swonke, TxDOT Environmental Affairs Division director, said the Record of Decision was signed March 4. "Our challenge in preparing the environmental impact statement was to develop a project that addressed the traffic problem while still being sensitive to the environmental issues," he wrote in a statement to Community Impact Newspaper. "We feel like we've accomplished that." The 15-page Record of Decision identifies building SH 45 SW—a roughly 4-mile, four lane limited access tollway connecting MoPac in Southwest Austin to FM 1626 in Hays County—as the preferred alternative to improve system connectivity and local mobility.