By Moses Leos III.
It took less than a year for Buda resident Rex Butterfield to see the traffic snarls 18-wheelers cause on Main Street.
“I like the idea of getting trucks out of downtown Buda,” Butterfield said.
That wish could be on the horizon.
The bypass would reach from 967 to 1626, passing through 2770 on the way. |
On Thursday, Hays County and TxDOT presented an open house for the proposed Robert S. Light Truck Bypass at Elm Grove Elementary School. Many public officials and residents hope its construction can remove 18-wheelers from downtown.
The four-lane arterial bypass, which is slated for completion in 2018, will encompass 1.8 miles at a cost of $18.5 million dollars. The bypass will receive $4 million from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (CAMPO) Transportation Improvement Program.
It will connect the intersection of Robert S. Light Boulevard and FM 967 to FM 1626.
TxDOT will fund construction, while Hays County funds the design aspect; HDR engineering was tabbed as the lead design group.
Hays County Precinct No. 2 Commissioner Mark Jones said the thought of a bypass goes back to the 1970s and 1980s. During those 20 years, Centex Materials and Texas Lehigh Cement Company set up shop.
Since then, the companies have shuttled material through the city. However, big rigs have added to congestion problems – a byproduct of the rapid growth of Buda.
According to TxDOT numbers, Buda has grown by 61 percent since 2000. They project the population to expand by another 144 percent by 2035. The growth has led to longer wait times, particularly at the intersection of 967 and Main Street.
“Buda has been trying to get the trucks out of downtown,” Jones said. “It’s not the trucks’ fault. Main Street is the only access to I-35.”
With Main Street no longer able to safely handle the traffic, the solution of a bypass was considered.
The Buda City Council added it to their 2002 Comprehensive Plan.
“Every venue I’ve had to pitch [the bypass] I’ve pitched it,” former Buda City Councilmember Ron Fletcher said.
Hays County picked up the project, which has gained steam. Allen Crozier, project manager with HDR Engineering, said the bypass has been “vetted through the public,” through various open house meetings.
It’s become the number one priority for the City of Buda’s Master Transportaion Plan.
“The public has seen it, and it’s been well received,” Crozier said. “The reaction has been very positive.”
Hays County and TxDOT are now taking steps to see the project through. It begins with acquiring 45 acres of right-of-way, along with completing an environmental study.
Crozier said all are working with Eagle Materials, which now owns Centex and Texas Lehigh for ROW acquisition. In September, Hays County estimated ROW acquisition and easement costs at $2 million.
The environmental study will impact the western portion of the project, according to Crozier.
“We will cross over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone and the contributing zone. We also have to deal with water quality issues,” he said. “That should be fairly easy to handle in this area.”
TxDOT projects the study to be complete by 2015, with letting in the summer of 2016. Construction is projected to start from 967 and work to 1626.
Buda resident Darlis Cummings welcomes the bypass, saying it, “should’ve [been] done it a long time ago.”
During his 17-years in Buda, Cummings has seen the trucks add to the burgeoning congestion issues.
“Hopefully, it will help keep trucks from turning at red light in middle of town,” he said.
Longtime resident T.J. Higginbotham said building the bypass from 967 to 1626 was a “logical” solution.
While he understands there could be opposition, having it in place is necessary.
“We need to look 20 years down the road, instead of looking back three years,” he said. “That’s what’s been going on here.”
