Travis County elections: Voters handily pass proposition for transportation improvements

Chase Rogers, Austin American-Statesman
·3 min read
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Signs urge people to vote outside Old Quarry Branch Library on Election Day in November.

Travis County voters handily approved Propositions A and B, according to final unofficial vote returns released Tuesday evening, authorizing the county to issue bonds for more than half a billion dollars for a range of road and infrastructure improvements, as well as parks and land acquisition.

Once the votes are certified, Proposition A permits the county to issue $233.06 million in bonds for road and infrastructure improvements. Proposition B sought $276.44 million in bonds for parks and land acquisition.

The dual propositions this Election Day are the largest ballot initiative in the county's history.

Election Day results: Live election results for Texas constitutional amendments, Travis County propositions

Unofficial early vote returns showed Propositions A and B each had more than 75% of the vote. The propositions maintained that margin throughout the evening, with the final unofficial count landing on 106,797 votes, or nearly 75.8%, for Proposition A and 108,876 votes, or about 77.1%, for Proposition B.

Funding under Proposition A will be split among 10 projects, with the majority going toward efforts to expand road capacity on certain thoroughfares.

  1. $16,951,250 to widen 1.3 miles of a two-lane undivided road to a four-lane divided road with a shoulder from Taylor Lane to Burleson-Manor Road in eastern Travis County.

  2. $25,187,500 to acquire right of way on FM 812, FM 973, RM 620, RM 1826, and RM 1431.

  3. $31,031,000 to turn a two-lane undivided road with no shoulders into a two-lane divided road with a two-way left turn lane, shoulders and a shared use path on one side from Texas 130 to Hodde Lane in northeastern Travis County.

  4. $38,788,750 to widen a two-lane road without shoulders to a four-lane divided road with a shared-use path from Pecan Street to Fuchs Grove Road in northeastern Travis County.

  5. $33,247,500 to finish design, right-of-way acquisitions and construction for a new four-lane divided road with bike lanes and sidewalks between a planned extension of Braker Lane and U.S. 290 in northeastern Travis County.

  6. $16,623,750 to turn a two-lane undivided road with no shoulders into a divided road with a two-way left turn lane, shoulders and a shared-use path on one side from Lakehurst Road to Highland Drive in western Travis County.

  7. $11,082,500 to install a shared-use path on the south side of Howard Lane (also known as McNeil Road) from McNeil Drive to McNeil-Merrilltown Road in northern Travis County.

  8. $29,922,750 to widen the two-lane undivided road between Bradshaw and Turnersville roads into a four-lane divided road with a median, bike lanes and sidewalks from Austin to Texas 45. This item would provide additional funding to complete the 2017 bond project currently under design.

  9. $15,112,500 for active transportation safety projects connected to Travis County roads, including projects for safe routes to school, sidewalks, shared-use paths, bike lanes and/or signals.

  10. $15,112,500 to upgrade substandard roads, including Pyramid Drive and O’Reilly Drive, to county standards and add a sidewalk.

The five-member Travis County Commissioners Court selected these projects in August after consultation with the county's Citizens Bond Advisory Committee, which held four public outreach sessions to determine whether a bond referendum was needed and which projects should be prioritized.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Travis County election results 2023: Voters approve Proposition A