HUTTO — The city has put the brakes on an overpass designed in part to provide added safety for school traffic on CR 132 because of concerns it would limit retail development along that section of U.S. 79.
A new proposal still takes into account safety factors, city officials said, especially since fatalities have occurred in that area over time.
David Hightower of Midway, the company contracted to help develop the 250-acre retail and residential area known as Cottonwood Properties, said that as designed, the overpass would block access to the property and have financial consequences for the city.
“It will hinder retail development, and it will especially hinder bigbox retail. We did a site plan and took it to some major retailers that we know the city would love to have based on information we received from the city, and they pretty much said, ‘If that overpass is done the way you said it is, we’re not interested and we don’t even want to look at the property,’” Hightower told City Council at its Thursday meeting.
Cottonwood Properties is owned by the Hutto Economic Development Corp. Midway began work on the land-use design project in April and has now created an initial conceptual master plan.
It calls for a mix of housing types including entry-level townhomes. Residents will have access to hike and bike trails that connect to nearby employment opportunities with planned retail and office buildings bordering 79.
“Office demand is pretty much tied right now to (nearby Samsung Austin Semiconductor), but we feel like there’s going to be higher office demand, and we will incorporate that into this project,” Hightower said.
He told the council that with the property being this large, he expects to work with multiple developers. The projected timeline for total site development is at least 12 years and as long as 30 years, depending on how early residential or retail investors buy in and whether they will be able to offer large retail clients adequate access and visibility near the 132 intersection.
After Hightower’s presentation, the council discussed the repercussions of the overpass
design. City Engineer Matt Rector said the project was originally envisioned in 2017 as a joint effort between the city, Williamson County and the Texas Department of Transportation to create a new north-south arterial roadway. He said the initiative would improve safety, as there have been several fatalities at that intersection.
Rector said about $830,000 had been spent designing the bridge when the project was halted in 2020. Design restarted in 2023 and $691,000 has been spent to date, with the design being 60% complete at this point.
The overpass is complicated because TxDOT plans to make 79 a sixlane divided road, and 132 is going to become a six-lane road. The bridge will also go over the railroad tracks.
Midway representatives
Photo courtesy city of Hutto
worked with EDC and developed an alternative design for the overpass that would maintain safety but also allow for access to Cottonwood Properties, in order to not hinder retail development.
“If we continue down the path of the current design, it’s going to hugely, negatively affect that land value. To me, developing the Cottonwood Properties right is more important than sticking with the design that we’ve already started,” said Mayor Pro Tem Peter Gordon. “It’s a lot of money we’ve spent on that bridge so far, but if we can get to a better design that makes the land work better and that is overall cheaper anyway, then we just have to ignore the money we’ve spent and not let it cloud our judgment.”
After a lengthy discussion, the council voted to postpone the project in order to try working with TxDOT and Union Pacific railroad to adopt the alternative design produced by Midway. “I know it’s tough to switch course, but sometimes government’s got to reevaluate what it’s doing,” said Mayor Mike Snyder. “We need to make sure we combine the safety of things and a developer in the conversation so the next time we decide to design a million-dollar bridge, we’ve already taken into account the viability of the land once it’s done along with the safety.”
