Hero Way, RM 2243 expansion underway From the cover
The overview
increased tra c, address safety concerns and foster economic growth along the corridor, county and city o cials said. “It is going to revolutionize the way tra c moves through Leander, and it’s critical that it starts and opens,” said Bridget Brandt, president of the Leander Chamber of Commerce.
In January, Williamson County broke ground on a $132 million road project that is expected to improve west-to-east mobility between Leander and Georgetown. The project would transform Hero Way and RM 2243, a state road, into a divided, controlled-access highway from 183A Toll to Southwest Bypass. The existing rural two-lane roadway is set to be
expanded into two main lanes running in each direction alongside two three-lane frontage roads. For Phase 1A, the county will build the rst frontage road from 183A Toll in Leander to Garey Park in Georgetown with one lane in each direction alongside a center turn lane. Phase 1A is scheduled to be completed by early 2028. The new roadway is anticipated to accommodate
Georgetown
Hero Way/RM 2243 expansion
LEANDER RD.
E S
FUTURE PHASES
35
PHASE 1A
183A TOLL
2243
RONALD REAGAN BLVD.
GAREY PARK RD.
GAREY PARK
PHASE 1A: WESTBOUND FRONTAGE ROAD CONSTRUCTION
183
Leander
2243
183A TOLL
2243
RONALD REAGAN BLVD.
N
©GOOGLE EARTH
SOURCE: WILLIAMSON COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT
The context
RM 2243 average daily tra c over time The annual average daily tra c, or AADT, count measures the average daily number of vehicles on the road each year.
Leander resident Josh Howard said the road is constantly congested with heavy tra c, result- ing in a 30-minute commute from Leander to Georgetown. Long said she hopes the realignment of RM 2243 with Hero Way helps smooth out dangerous curves along RM 2243 that have resulted in fatalities. From 2016 to 2025, there were nearly 500 crashes along the corridor, according to TxDOT data.
Tra c along RM 2243 has more than doubled over the last 20 years, according to data from the Texas Department of Transportation. “Anybody that currently drives Leander Road [known as RM 2243] … knows the need for this project,” Williamson County Precinct 2 Commis- sioner Cynthia Long said. “Both cities have been two of the fastest growing in the county, and it doesn’t show signs of slowing down.”
+248%
20K 15K 10K 5K 0
15.3K
4.4K
2004 2008 2012 2016
2024 2020
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
SECURED ELEVATED SPACES (512) 375-3379
18
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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