Dripping Springs business owners worried about displacement if US 290 upgrade project is green-lit
DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – Elwyn Hutter has worked in fitness for a dozen years. He’s owned several gyms but moved into his Dripping Springs location along U.S. Highway 290 around a year and a half ago.
Link Fitness offers a mixture of strength training and high-intensity functional fitness training but also a place for the community.
READ MORE: TxDOT cancels in-person meeting on US 290 widening plans; virtual option available
“I would say a space like this is why my clients are here,” Hutter said. “They come here for the accountability, for the friendships they develop, and for the community,” he continued. “That’s a big focus of mine, as well – to make this the best hour of their day.”
Hutter previously had a gym in Oak Hill but was priced out after increases in rent and taxes. He loves the new location but now fears he might be displaced again.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) wants to widen around 13 miles of U.S. Hwy. 290 from southwest Austin to west to Dripping Springs. TXDOT officials said the project will transform the current structure from an undivided, four-lane road to a divided, six-lane highway.
The project doesn’t have the approval yet, but if it’s green-lit, there’s a chance that 82 businesses, 13 residences and one church may get displaced.
“It was not the plan to be potentially impacted by this in the way that we might be,” Hutter said. “The hope, the dream, the desire is always to grow a business and become known for certain things. And in a year and a half, I think we’ve done a lot of good things, and we’re building a great community.”
A few miles east of Link Fitness in Salon Mystique – a space consisting of nearly 40 salon suites, a blow-dry bar and a cafe. Owner Misty Uzuanis said it’s been in its current location since 2019, and while she’s not too worried her business will be displaced, she’s concerned about how a project might impact traffic in the area.
“We’re a service industry. So any time you have a service industry, especially out in this direction – which is in between two larger areas – we count a lot on people coming in to get a service. So when it’s more complicated to get to, people just aren’t going to come or they’ll find an alternative,” Uzuanis said.
TXDOT officials think the project is necessary to make the section of the road safer, as well as to address increased traffic associated with growth.
“There’s no question… that parts of 290 are dangerous and overly congested,” Hutter said. “I’m just really hopeful that small businesses like mine and [other] small family-owned businesses – that they’re respected, considered and not displaced.”
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