Hays County puts $2M toward Texas 21 study to improve safety, accommodate growth

After more than three dozen traffic fatalities in two years along a stretch of Texas 21 in Hays County, commissioners this week committed to spend $2 million on a transportation study that will examine how to improve safety on the highway and accommodate the influx of new growth in the region south of Austin.

The study, approved unanimously by commissioners Tuesday, will look specifically at a 17-mile stretch of the highway between Texas 80 in San Marcos and U.S. 183 in the eastern part of Hays County.

Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe said the county has quickly outgrown that portion of the highway, which is currently two lanes in both directions in most places.

“We just see much more traffic and unfortunately there’s been numerous fatalities,” she said. “We need to ensure we are planning for the growth that we continue to see in our county.”

According to Texas Department of Transportation data provided by the county, at least 37 fatalities were reported on Texas 21 in the study area between 2016 and 2018, including a Lehman High School student who was killed in a hit-and-run crash the day after Christmas 2016.

“It’s not just fatalities,” Commissioner Mark Jones said. “We’ve also had a lot of injuries on SH 21, and there can be delays, congestion and flooding problems at certain choke points and intersections.”

The study, which is being conducted by HDR Engineering, will look at traffic and population projections, environmental constraints, business and school bus patterns, and existing buildings and historic sites. The report will offer a list of design recommendations, including new travel lanes and improvements to intersections, sidewalks and shoulders. It is expected to be completed in early 2021.

The county said it will use the study to decide where to preserve right-of-way along the road for future improvements. The goal is develop a long-range plan to upgrade the highway in several phases over the coming decades, staff said.

Since Texas 21 is owned by TxDOT, any future work will require the agency’s approval and likely will rely on funding from various state, federal and county sources.

The study itself is being paid for with a portion of $237 million bond money approved by voters in 2016.

Hays County has been making small improvements to the highway over the past few years with some of that same bond money, including adding wider shoulders and turn lanes at many of the dangerous intersections.

However, the commissioners court agreed more work is needed on the highway, as increased development springs up along the corridor. Hays school district spokesman Tim Savoy said he expects the district’s next high school will be located along the highway.

“We expect the growth to be there,” he said.

The county plans to launch a website with information about the study and will hold public meetings in the spring to get feedback on possible highway improvements.