$800 million Williamson County road bond on November ballot
Williamson County voters will decide if $825 million dollars of road improvement projects will move forward on November ballot.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- In November, Williamson County voters will decide if more than $800 million dollars of road improvements will get funding.
There are 38 road projects on the bond program that will be on the ballot, adding up to $825 million in road improvements.
"There are projects across the county. And so they're in all four precincts. They are projects that will benefit residents all across the county. And there are projects that that the cities have partnered with us in many cases," Williamson County Communications Director Connie Odom said.
Some stand-out locations include widening Ronald Regan Boulevard from RM 3405 to Sun City Boulevard. Another big project includes intersection improvements at FM 1431 and Highway 183.
"Some of them are smaller, like in Granger, we're going to be improving (FM) 971 if this passes, right in front of the high school," Odom said.
History has shown Williamson County voters support these types of measures. Voters approved bonds in the 2000, 2006, 2013 and 2019 elections.
"If this is approved by voters, it will not increase the debt service tax rate," Odom said.
According to Williamson County, WilCo is the third fastest-growing county in the state of Texas, and they estimate the population to triple by 2045 to more than 1.3 million residents. With that growth, comes truck traffic that will be able to utilize the new and expanded roads on the ballot.
"And in certain cases, then they can bypass downtown areas where maybe moms and kids and dads are all going to school and to work. And so that bigger traffic can find other ways to go without impacting people's daily commute," Odom said.
Early voting starts Oct. 23 and Election Day is Nov. 7. Williamson County residents have one more chance to learn more in person about the bond next week. There's a public meeting in Cedar Park on Oct. 19.