LEANDER, Texas — The City of Leander is planning to have the new water tower completed this year, paving the way to restart the San Gabriel Parkway project.
When a city is growing over three times faster than expected, keeping up is not easy.
"We didn't go through a boom, we went through an explosion," said Tony Bettis, the Program Manager for Capital Improvements Program.
Bettis knows, because he's managing some of the projects to make sure the infrastructure in Leander is keeping up with demand.
Because of finances and logistics, the city has had to decide which growing pain to alleviate first.
"Water is our number one priority right now, as it is probably across all of Texas," said Bettis.
So in 2023, the City paused the San Gabriel Parkway project, which would ease traffic congestion, to instead focus on building a water tower that'll hold over 1 million gallons of water.
Bettis said the tower will be completed in December and up and running by January. He said all they have to do is place the bowl on top of the tower column.
"Which is good for us and good for the road," said Bettis.
Now, they can focus on improving traffic for the growing Palmera Bluff and Palmera Ridge subdivisions.
"Traffic has probably tripled," Palmera Ridge resident Mark Mincey said.
Mincey moved to Palmera Ridge six years ago.
"At rush hour it's difficult to get out of the neighborhood here on to Ronald Reagan (Boulevard)," said Mincey.
Mincey said he's excited for the second phase of the San Gabriel Parkway project, believing it will provide another way out of the neighborhood, connecting a very busy Ronald Reagan Boulevard to Isaias Drive which runs through the subdivision. It'll be a two-lane, two-way road.
It will improve safety as well.
"We have a big school and that's, that's another concern because bringing school buses in and out and getting children safely to the school system," said Bettis. "Of course, we know that our police department and fire department really need this road because it gives them an east-west thoroughfare."
Bettis said they plan to accept bids in October, start construction in January and complete phase two of the project in late 2027.
Boomtown is KVUE's series covering the explosive growth in Central Texas. For more Boomtown stories, head to KVUE.com/Boomtown.