SH 45 SW rolls forward

It’s been a long road, but the journey to break ground on State Highway 45 Southwest is almost over. On Thursday, the Texas Transportation Commission approved the funding agreement between the Texas Department of Transportation and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority that will pave the way for the toll road’s construction. The CTRMA board of directors approved the agreement at its meeting on Wednesday. The state agency will loan CTRMA $60 million on top of a $28.9 million grant to build the 3.6-mile road connection from MoPac Boulevard to FM 1626 in Hays County. In order to keep the project’s expected groundbreaking later this year on schedule, the CTRMA board also voted to give Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein the authority to negotiate and execute the necessary project development agreement with TxDOT. Despite an ongoing court battle in which opponents are trying to wreck the road altogether, its supporters celebrated the financial agreements on Thursday. Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty – perhaps SH 45 SW’s staunchest advocate – said, “The people of Southwest Travis County have suffered long enough and deserve that this vital project move forward.”