PROJECT PENDING
Concerns and issues
While the Hays County Commissioners approved a $2.5 million preliminary engineering and feasibility contract with CP&Y, Inc., the project itself is contingent on what the study nds.
Data
The AquifeR
Eminent domain
SH 45 road project
The study itself will look at: • development;
Potential increased tra c in the area must not harm: • the water; • native plants; and • wildlife.
A potential route for the road and right-of-way acquisition can only be determined and gained if the study nds the project to be feasible and bene cial to the region.
With I-35 feeding straight through downtown Austin, tra c issues and congestion regularly arise, which this project could help alleviate. Here is a breakdown from the U.S. Census Bureau of commuter information from Hays, Travis, Caldwell, Williamson and Bastrop counties from 2015-19.
• possible route options; • tra c modeling; and • existing environmental conditions.
COMMUTER TRAVEL TIME TO WORK
MODES OF COMMUTING
76.9%
MINUTES
SOURCES: CD&P, GREATER EDWARDS AQUIFER ALLIANCE COMMUNITY IMPACT
drive alone
<5 2,061 5-9 9,808
8.7%
carpool
11,863
10-14 15-16 20-29 30-44
Hays County and CP&Y, Inc. The study is expected to take about three years to complete and is in the very early stages. The potential for this project to reach a dirt-turning point is contin- gent on a variety of factors. “The study will include extensive stakeholder outreach; identi ca- tion, development and evaluation of possible route options; tra c modeling; environmental existing conditions studies and mapping; and planning-level preliminary engi- neering,” Gray said in an email to Community Impact . Discussions and input will be sought from the public and property own- ers within the boundaries of the gap regarding the potential route of the road. There will also need to be dis- cussions about eminent domain and right-of-way acquisition; however, no immediate dates for when these would occur have been announced. If the CP&Y, Inc. study nds the project is feasible and a bene t to the region, funding would then need to be secured, and additional studies would need to be conducted to ensure the road is in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, according to Gray. “The ndings and results of the cur- rent study would be the starting point for future NEPA studies and subse- quent project development,” Gray said. Once the NEPA hoops have been jumped through, detailed design and right-of-way acquisition is next; after which it is up to Hays County, regional transportation partners and the Texas Department of Transportation to decide whether to further advance the project. Katy McAfee contributed to this report
it comes to the surface through its own springs, Peace said. Since the aquifer is covered in frac- tures, caves, sinking streams and sinkholes, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Edwards Aquifer Protection Program regulates all activities that could potentially pollute the water and other streams connected to it to protect and main- tain its standards. Members of the GEAA have expressed concerns over similar proj- ects, citing roadkill, invasive species, ooding and water pollution. Road projects that take place in undeveloped areas pose a threat to existing species of wildlife and grasses, which should be approached with as much caution as possible, according to the GEAA. “It is evident from a variety of studies that increasing urbanization of the Edwards region is impairing water quality,” Peace wrote in a state- ment regarding another road project over the aquifer. If the project were to be completed, the increased tra c over “environ- mentally sensitive lands” would be putting “the region’s water quality and environment at greater risk,” accord- ing to the letter from Travis County. The letter further outlined action that the city of Austin has taken over the past several decades to protect the Edwards Aquifer, including the implementation of the citizen-initi- ated Save Our Springs Ordinance, a $143 million voter-approved bond to acquire and preserve 27,000 acres of land and a legal commitment to pro- tect rare and endangered species. Next steps Any potential risks that the road project may pose to the environment are being studied through the $2.5 million preliminary engineering and feasibility study contract between
13,270
8.7%
work from home
16,644
19,853
other 5.7%
26,853
45+
Edwards Aquifer transition zone
What is the transition zone?
What are potential concerns that could arise from the project?
Also known as the artesian zone, this section is where the water pressure brings water to the surface naturally in springs and wells.
• Construction and urbanization over the aquifer can pollute the water and impair its quality. • The project will need to minimize con ict between development and native wildlife in the area.
SOURCES: EDWARDS AQUIFER AUTHORITY, HAYS COUNTY, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU COMMUNITY IMPACT
to an increase in population in Austin by about 2 million people, Crossley said, which is unavoidable. “There is not [a] reasonable argu- ment about stopping the region’s growth. But where that growth hap- pens … who knows? That depends on the actual policies that all the di er- ent governments and entities in the region decide,” Crossley said. The reason Hays County could be pushing for this road is not because of tra c within the county, but for the growth to keep spurring in car-dependent areas, which will push residents to commute into Aus- tin for work, Crossley said. “Maybe that is a reasonable option
for our region, but it is not neces- sary,” Crossley said. “Do we want
sprawl and pollution?” Looking after the aquifer
While tra c remains a concern, the largest claim against the SH 45 road project is that it would be built over the transition zone of the Edwards Aquifer—a thin strip of land southeast of the recharge zone where limestone that lies over the aquifer is fractured, and has caves and sinkholes, said Annalisa Peace, Executive Director for the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance. The transition zone, also called the artesian zone, is often used to pump water out through wells or used when
“ THE SH 45 ROAD PROJECT WILL MASSIVELY INCREASE TRAFFIC ON MOPAC AND OVER THE MOST VULNERABLE PART OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER . ... ANOTHER MAJOR ISSUE IS THIS DIVERSION … WILL ALLOW TRAFFIC ON ONE OF THE BUSIEST INTERSTATES IN THE NATION TO BE BYPASSED ONTO A REGIONAL HIGHWAY THAT WAS NOT INTENDED TO HOLD THAT CAPACITY.” BRIGID SHEA, TRAVIS COUNTY PRECINCT 2 COMMISSIONER
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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SAN MARCOS BUDA KYLE EDITION • NOVEMBER 2022
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