AUSTIN, Texas — A safety project that has been in the works for years in one Central Texas neighborhood is finally complete.
On Wednesday, Travis County officials celebrated the completion of a new evacuation route in Steiner Ranch.
“This infrastructure will increase our ability to be better prepared for when the next disaster strikes,” said Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea.
In 2019, county commissioners approved building the new route in response to a devastating wildfire in 2011 that destroyed dozens of homes and 160 acres of land. When that fire happened, there was only one road out of the neighborhood.
“There was a bottleneck and cars were stuck in traffic for hours,” Shea said.
David Grear was one neighbor in that traffic trying to rush home to save his dogs.
“The traffic was stacked up significantly. I went on Park Road up to the point where people couldn't get out for almost 45 minutes,” Grear said. “Of course when you think there's a fire nearby, you get really nervous about that.”
Grear, who is also Travis County's Public Works Director says the experience convinced him that there should be more than one way out.
“So, we had to evaluate several different options, several different routes, and several different ideas,” Grear said.
The new route connects Flat Top Ranch Road to Montview Drive. Even though the $2.7 million project was approved five years ago, it has faced multiple delays ever since. Construction officially started in February 2023 and was completed earlier this year.
“We looked at ten different routes. That took a while and then we had to vet each of them, come up with estimates, and we were able to find funding for this one and, again, it’s a very good route,” said Katharine Hardin, Travis County Engineer and Senior Project Manager.
At a ribbon-cutting event on Wednesday, community leaders said they hope residents never have to use the new route, but they want to be prepared for the worst.
"The emergency access route we're cutting the ribbon on today will not only give residents another way in and out if they need to evacuate, but it will [also] allow emergency vehicles into Steiner and the area if the main road is blocked," Shea said.
The completion of the new route comes as wildfire dangers have been on the rise in Central Texas due to growth and ongoing drought conditions.