Williamson County opens newest, most expensive segment of East Wilco Highway

WilCo opens new bridge between Hutto & Taylor

Williamson County officials celebrated opening a new bridge between Hutto and Taylor, which is just part of a larger project.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas - Williamson County officials celebrated opening a new bridge between Hutto and Taylor Friday afternoon.

A fleet of local school buses, police, and emergency vehicles took the first drive on the bridge stretching over Highway 79. 

What we know:

This bridge is part of a larger project called the Eastern Williamson County Highway. Nearby County Road 101 and FM 3349 were also expanded to four lanes.

Funding comes from a 2019 bond and TxDOT. The total for construction was $95 million.

"It is the most expensive project in the history of Williamson County by a good distance," said Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles. "That’s how important this project is."

For Boles, it’s been a long road to get here. "We’ve gone through the pandemic, we’ve gone through winter storm Uri and a whole variety of things," he said.

Dig deeper:

This is just segment three of the East Wilco Highway project, which Boles hopes to eventually take as far north as Jarrell.

But they wanted to start closer to Samsung.

"This is a national security issue," said U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions. "This Samsung plant was specifically brought for this reason to make sure that America has what it needs for the future."

That’s why Sessions sees this road as bigger than Williamson County.

"They want to make sure their employees get there safely, they want to make sure that the product is ready and gets out effectively, and so these roads and bridges are designed for the future and safety and that what it will be," said Sessions.

People gather to celebrate the opening of a new section of the East Williamson County Highway.

The cheerful crowds gathering in the afternoon heat Friday couldn't agree more.

"As the county, we always try to stay ahead as much as we can, and this one has been a struggle because with Samsung, the data centers, and the residential developments coming in, this road is needed more now than ever," said Boles.

What's next:

The road officially opens to the public tomorrow.