The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Williamson County were joined by Congressman Pete Sessions and Texas Transportation Commission Chairman J. Bruce Bugg, Jr. to celebrate the start of construction on the FM 3349 at US 79 intersection improvement project.
The project includes widening the existing undivided two-lane FM 3349 and CR 101 roadways into a four-lane divided roadway, constructing two bridges over US 79 and the Union Pacific Railroad and constructing a local access road "jug handle" to provide signalized connectivity between US 79 and FM 3349/CR 101.
“Today, we’re talking about the largest road bond project in the history of Williamson County. What’s amazing about the road project is that it involves many different people working together from the state level to the federal level to the county level to the local level. It is those partnerships that make safety projects like this one possible,” said County Judge Bill Gravell. “We cannot thank Governor Greg Abbott and Chairman Bugg enough for the construction funding for this project.”
“Roads and economic development go hand in hand, and roads improve the quality of life wherever population continues to grow, and that's what we're all about at the Texas Department of Transportation,” said Chairman Bugg.
The FM 3349 at US 79 project is part of the Southeast Loop, connecting SH 130 to US 79. Phase One of the Southeast Loop is currently under construction and is anticipated to be completed in summer of 2023. Phase Two is under design, and the county is actively pursuing construction funding.
“We have 20 trains each day passing through Hutto and Taylor with only two other overpasses on the east side of the county. This overpass will greatly improve safety and mobility for industrial and commercial vehicles as well as school buses, emergency vehicles and the traveling public,” said Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles.
The design engineer for the project is HDR, and James Construction Group is the contractor. Construction is anticipated to be completed in summer 2025. The construction cost is $82 million and is funded by TxDOT. Williamson County contributed additional funding for the engineering, environmental clearance, right-of-way acquisition and other road improvements through voter-approved road bonds.