Public Hearing on FM 1626 expansion project in Buda, Tuesday night at 6 pm

Editor's Note: Waste of the taxpayer's money, and overkill – not an improvement in mobility – will be the lasting legacies of FM 1626 if it is transformed into an 82-foot wide 5-lane super commuter road, with continuous left turn lane, serving primarily northeastern Hays County. The case has been made that without the expansion of SH 45 from MoPac to 1-35, a super-sized 1626 will only result in a giant, faster bottleneck at the Brodie and Manchaca intersections.

Hays County officials recently received a letter from Travis County Commissioners requesting that the 1626 plan be downsized or reworked since, in its current incarnation, it will not mesh with Travis County's transportation plans.

Hello left hand, meet your right hand. Please.

Well over a hundred thousand dollars has been paid to Hays County's road bond consultant on this project. In our view, it's been a waste of good money, unless of course one considers political 'pay back' a good investment of our taxes.

Send your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net, to County Judge Liz Sumter at lizsumter@co.hays.tx.us, or click on the "comments" button at the bottom of the story

Pct. 2 Commissioner Jeff Barton was out pimping big roads
after passage of the '08 road bond. Today he's got a hot potato
on his hands with the 1626 project up in the air in his precinct.
Photo clipping is from Barton's family newspaper, the Free Press

From S.O.S. News:

Beginning at 6 pm tomorrow night, Dec. 8, at the Elk Grove Elementary School in Buda, TxDOT will hold a public hearing to discuss plans to expand FM 1626 from FM 967 to Brodie Lane. Elk Grove Elementary School is located at 801 FM 1626.

While the expansion of FM 1626 is being proposed as a safety and mobility project, the project should raise serious concerns for residents on 1626 and Brodie Lane dealing with commuter traffic. The project will funnel even more high-speed, pass-through traffic into these neighborhoods and on to the recharge zone of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer.

We urge folks in Travis and Hays Counties to attend the hearing to learn more about the project and to voice their concerns. For more information about the hearing, and to view the draft Environmental Assessment ("EA") for the project, click here: http://www.dot.state.tx.us/public_involvement/hearings_meetings/fm1626.htm

Given that the EA for this project has only recently been made available online, we will be asking for an extension of the comment period, which is currently set to run out on December 18. If you attend the public hearing, please speak up in favor of a 30- to 60-day extension so that the public has adequate time to review the EA and provide meaningful input.