Council to consider opposing Hays County road plans

City Council will consider a resolution today asking Hays County to reconsider a road plan that would include two major road projects that could be detrimental to the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer district and damage Barton Springs. The Travis County Commissioners Court sent a letter in September to Hays commissioners notifying them of Travis County’s opposition to two different roads. According to a resolution sponsored by Council Member Ann Kitchen, one of the roads would “cause serious harm to both the city-owned Water Quality Protection Lands as well as to privately owned lands protected by City of Austin Water Quality Protection Lands conservation easements.” The second road would have the effect of converting MoPac Expressway from a local commuter highway into “a partially tolled interstate freeway alternative to Interstate 35, serving interregional and interstate car and truck traffic.” As the Hays Free Press reported, “On Aug. 30, the Hays County Commissioners Court approved a $2.5 million engineering and design contract with a 4-1 vote to complete the missing section of SH 45 between I-35 and FM 1626, connecting I-35 to South MoPac.” Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra was the lone vote against the contract.