GILLESPIE COUNTY, Texas -- The Texas Department of Transportation is proposing the construction of a traffic relief route around the town of Fredericksburg in an effort to offset congestion along U.S. 290.
- Traffic congestion around Fredericksburg becoming an issue
- TxDot proposing relief route designed to reduce traffic on U.S. 290
- Would displace some homes and businesses
The proposal itself is in its early stages but the conversation has been happening for many years, and at the center of the conversation is what Main Street in Fredericksburg will look like in the years to come.
RELATED: Fredericksburg Community Sounds Off on US 290 Traffic Relief Proposal
As it stands, Main Street also functions as U.S. Route 290.
“It’s been frustrating because this started out back in the 1980s,” says Fredericksburg resident Joe Salinas II.
Nestled in the heart of Gillespie County, Fredericksburg sees dense traffic partly from hosting three major highways. According to TxDOT, roughly 1,700 trucks and 23,000 cars travel along U.S. 290 daily. That density is being cited as a public safety concern which resulted in the proposed eight-mile-long relief route.
“It’s something that’s needed in this community. Those big trucks going through Main Street, it becomes really dangerous,” says Salinas.
The TxDOT study began in early 2018 and it's overseen by a task force out of Gillespie County. If approved the route would cause 19 residential displacements and three business displacements.
“This is the closest we’ve ever been to getting something actually done,” says Salinas.
If nothing is done, TxDOT projects the amount of traffic—from both cars and trucks— on Main Street will increase by 2040, but the relief route is a sticking point for residents in the area.
“On the maps that TxDOT has provided there’s planned development which is almost right on top of the projected technical route,” says Salinas's son, Joe Salinas III.
Five other routes were considered but ultimately the route being floated is considered the most technically feasible.
“My thoughts are—we do need it, absolutely; however, it should be pushed further out,” says Joe Salinas III.
Because the proposal is in its formative phase, public input is still needed.
