Enhanced mobility efforts in Hays and Travis counties were supported Aug. 10 as a U.S. District Court in Austin dismissed an injunction against construction on the State Highway 45 southwest and MoPac intersection projects.
The lawsuit, filed by the Save our Springs Alliance (SOS) and other plaintiffs against the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in 2016, claimed there were flaws in the environmental clearance process used by TxDOT and the plaintiffs wanted construction on both projects halted.
SOS and other plaintiffs also wanted progress on an environmental study for the proposed MoPac South project halted.
“We are pleased that the judge has denied the claims brought by the plaintiffs so we can continue working to bring meaningful congestion relief to our region,” Mike Heiligenstein, CTRMA executive director, said in a statement.
Heiligenstein added the ruling “confirms the credibility of the environmental study processes and planning procedures” that guide their work and emphasized a need for separation of science and politics in regard to this matter.
Hays County Commissioner Mark Jones said the injunction didn’t impose any delays on the construction of SH 45SW and that crews continued to work on the expansion until the injunction was ultimately decided on by a judge.
The SH 45SW project will connect 1626 to MoPac south of Slaughter lane which Jones hopes will help to alleviate congestion on I-35.
“We kept moving forward during the injunction,” Jones said explaining that if the judge had ruled in favor of the Save Our Springs Alliance, construction would have been shut down immediately.
“It (the lawsuit) didn’t delay the construction,” Jones said, “They’re still on schedule.”
Heiligenstein said the region has “suffered from traffic congestion long enough and we are driven to bring sustainable transportation options to our growing region.”
Heiligenstein added the decision to support the mobility projects by the District Court marked “a renewed commitment to mobility improvements” and constituted “a huge victory for the residents and commuters of Central Texas.”
Jones said the SH 45SW project is about 30 percent complete and remains on schedule for completion by Spring 2019.
The Hays Free Press reached out to the SOS for comment on this story. SOS did not respond back as of press time.
