BUDA, TX — Road safety improvements on FM 967 in Buda have begun. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will construct a continuous two-way left turn center lane from west of Oak Forest Drive to the intersection with FM 1626, including Carpenter Hill Elementary School, Dahlstrom Middle School, and Johnson High School.

The work includes adding paved shoulders, improving drainage structures, and adding a four-foot painted separation median that will run from one mile west of Ruby Ranch Road to west of Oak Forest Drive.

“These road improvements will help in reducing traffic on FM 967 in particular during peak times when parents and students are driving to and from the schools on that roadway and nearby roads,” Hays County Commissioner Mark Jones, Pct. 2, said. “We look forward to alleviating some of the congestion in that area and enhancing the safety for all drivers.”

Jones said funding for the project, valued at $6,598,035.64, is from Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO)-awarded Federal funds, 2016 Hays County Road Bonds, and TxDOT Highway Safety Improvement Funds.

The project team includes WSB as the design engineer and Hunter Industries, Ltd. as the contractor. TxDOT will be responsible for managing and inspecting the construction.

Jones said the anticipated project completion is fall of 2022.