In a recent commentary published in the Austin American Statesman, Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber took a stand against the construction of Texas 45 Southwest. The purposed plan would connect the southern end of MoPac to FM 1626. Huber likely wrote this to get more Travis County residents to realize what they will be paying for, should this project get approved. While she has the residents of Travis County's best interest at heart, her knowledge of transportation is limited compared to the Texas Department of Transportation's.

Huber's main concern is that Texas 45 Southwest won't do enough to relieve the congestion in that area, and therefore would not be worth the millions of dollars the construction would cost. This is a valid concern, however, Extensive research by TxDOT has already been done prior to drawing up the Texas 45 Southwest plan. What they found was that many Hays County, Buda, and Kyle residents use a small street called Brodie Lane to get from FM 1626 to MoPac. This traffic, combined with the school traffic Huber mentions causes a lot of congestion, and people in both Hays and Travis County are demanding something be done. Like Huber says, Texas 45 Southwest won't do much to cut down on the school traffic, but the truth is, not much can be done since the schools on Brodie Lane can't be moved very easily. The good news is, some of the other traffic on Brodie Lane can be eliminated by building Texas 45 Southwest.

Not to mention, the new road will provide other advantages as well. Compare a map of Austin's roads to any other major city in the nation and you will notice a big difference. Austin, despite having nearly a million residents and one of the fastest growing rates, does not have an outer loop. This is something TxDOT has been pushing for for years. Building Texas 45 Southwest would be a step toward establishing that outer loop that would make driving in Austin much more efficient. Add this to the fact that Texas 45 Southwest would still significantly reduce the traffic on Brodie, and I believe it's clear that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Huber also expressed her concern on the environmental impact this road would have. The good news is, this is Austin we're talking about. The Texas Department of Transportation is well aware of the importance of the environment to us Austinites, and they are confident they have the technology needed to build and maintain this road with minimal impact on the environment. However, I agree that more research could be done to ensure this is the case.

The bottom line is, the congestion on Brodie Lane is a major concern, and even Huber can admit that. Building the road will help relieve some of that congestion as well as benefit the Austin road system in the long run. Yes it will be expensive, and yes, more research needs to be done before the construction process can begin, but people are demanding this road be built, and there's a lot of pressure on the Texas Department of Transportation to get this done. I just don't believe this project can be put off much longer. Our population is growing fast and more roads need to be built to accommodate for a larger population.