Williamson County (Northern Austin Metro) Projects

[thisdj78]

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I'm guessing between Parmer and Mopac, it will have a similar configuration to US74 SE of Downtown Charlotte, except their two inner lanes are reserved for buses:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GwkWztCjyAgfngHL6?g_st=ic

[armadillo speedbump]

The south portion is idiotic, but probably because the majority of it is in poorly run Travis County.

At least if it is a superstreet configuration with the one-lane each way only on bridges over intersections, those short bridges can have the shoulders converted into second directional lanes.  Similar to how the bridges on the new grade separations on US 380 (Collin/Denton Counties) don't have a shoulder.

[thisdj78]

I was looking at a map of Hutto and noticed that Limmer Loop appears to have a wide ROW in some spots. Is it possible this is being reserved as a potential northern bypass of US79?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rsrPnfJHKp51erjt5?g_st=ic

[MaxConcrete]

I was looking at a map of Hutto and noticed that Limmer Loop appears to have a wide ROW in some spots. Is it possible this is being reserved as a potential northern bypass of US79?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rsrPnfJHKp51erjt5?g_st=ic

An alignment along Limmer Loop is not in the most recently approved Williamson County thoroughfare plan.

Limmer Loop is also not in the 2016 version of the plan which you posted in this thread in October 2024.

Limmer is shown as a minor arterial in the 2022 Hutto plan (map on page 99).

I agree, there appears to be freeway-width set-aside east of SH 130, but the corridor is narrower farther east. Looking at the Google map, there are high voltage towers along most of Limmer Loop. So I think most or all of the wider right-of-way is high voltage right of way. West of Ed Schmidt Blvd., I think the apparent potential corridor width is an artifact of the original properties along the road, which coincidentally happen to be freeway corridor width.

[MaxConcrete]

A public meeting took place on April 22 for FM 973 from US 290 at Manor to Samsung Highway south of Taylor. Samsung Highway is the south side of the planned freeway loop around Taylor.

The previous plan for the road was a four-lane divided design. The new recommendation is a four-lane freeway with frontage roads. The cross section view suggests it will be a small freeway on a narrow right-of-way.

This recommendation is consistent with the Williamson County long range plan, which shows FM 979 as a freeway south of Samsung Highway. Most of the recommended freeway section is in Travis County. As usual, there surely won't be funding available anytime soon, but right now it is most important to protect the needed right-of-way from development.


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[MaxConcrete]

The photo below was posted on the Williamson County Facebook page on August 18. It looks southwest where the East Wilco Highway veers west from the FM 3349 alignment. It appears possible the frontage road will be open by the end of the year. The view also shows work along the path of the north (westbound) frontage road, although it could be utilities/drainage only at this time.

Here is a link to the September 2026 newsletter. It reports that a $5 million grant was received for a $7 million project at East Wilco Highway at the location in the image, and also at FM 1660 (in the distance in the image).

The newsletter also has a link to a report about Williamson County projects which received funding from CAMPO. Projects include

• Samsung Highway west of SH 95 (Corridor A2 segment 2). This is planned to be an ultimate freeway, but this phase appears to be right-of-way and maybe a frontage road.
• East Wilco Highway segment 6. This continues the project northward, with this section between SH 29 and FM 971. This appears to be for construction of frontage roads.
• Ronald Reagan Highway segments C1 and D2, which are on the north side of the project. The schematic with the ultimate plan shows a four-lane freeway with frontage roads on a very narrow right-of-way. This phase appears to be frontage roads.

TxDOT has scheduled a public meeting for construction of a $22 million DDI at SH 130 and Gattis School Road, which is the same intersection where the East Wilco Highway connects to SH 130. This suggests the direct connection ramps for the ultimate East Wilco Freeway are far in the future.

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[thisdj78]

The photo below was posted on the Williamson County Facebook page on August 18. It looks southwest where the East Wilco Highway veers west from the FM 3349 alignment. It appears possible the frontage road will be open by the end of the year. The view also shows work along the path of the north (westbound) frontage road, although it could be utilities/drainage only at this time.

Here is a link to the September 2026 newsletter. It reports that a $5 million grant was received for a $7 million project at East Wilco Highway at the location in the image, and also at FM 1660 (in the distance in the image).

The newsletter also has a link to a report about Williamson County projects which received funding from CAMPO. Projects include

• Samsung Highway west of SH 95 (Corridor A2 segment 2). This is planned to be an ultimate freeway, but this phase appears to be right-of-way and maybe a frontage road.
• East Wilco Highway segment 6. This continues the project northward, with this section between SH 29 and FM 971. This appears to be for construction of frontage roads.
• Ronald Reagan Highway segments C1 and D2, which are on the north side of the project. The schematic with the ultimate plan shows a four-lane freeway with frontage roads on a very narrow right-of-way. This phase appears to be frontage roads.

TxDOT has scheduled a public meeting for construction of a $22 million DDI at SH 130 and Gattis School Road, which is the same intersection where the East Wilco Highway connects to SH 130. This suggests the direct connection ramps for the ultimate East Wilco Freeway are far in the future.

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If the Samsung Hwy would eventually continue past SH95 and connect to 79 east of Taylor, it could serve has a good regional bypass of that corridor.