Navarro ISD seeks county commitment on Link–Huber intersection work ahead of new high school opening

Navarro Independent School District officials briefed the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court on June 10 about required improvements at the Link Road and Huber Road intersection tied to construction of the district's new high school.

District leaders said the city of Seguin is requiring, as part of the certificate-of-occupancy process, either a county commitment to widen the Link–Huber intersection (including new turn lanes and associated right-of-way acquisition) or a waiver from the city. Melissa New of AGCM, the district's project manager, told the court the traffic impact analysis (TIA) completed for the project recommended widening the intersection and adding left- and right-turn lanes to handle school traffic and turning movements. The TIA was carried out in 2022 and released in April 2023.

Why it matters: Seguin will not issue a certificate of occupancy for the campus unless the city receives written documentation that the county and the district are cooperating to address the TIA recommendations or that the county intends to seek a waiver. The district is aiming for substantial completion of the building in November and to welcome students in January, and officials said the occupancy contingency is time sensitive.

What the district described: New said the work would likely require about 50 feet of right of way at multiple property lines, potentially impacting driveways, mailboxes, gates and fences. The plan would extend roughly 438 linear feet one way and 562 feet the other direction, and will intersect existing culverts and drainage features that were improved several years ago. District officials noted drainage studies and utility relocations have not yet been completed; those studies could expand the right-of-way and cost estimates.

County and commissioner concerns: Commissioners and county staff asked whether homeowners along Link Road had been consulted; New said not yet. Court members emphasized three constraints: (1) avoiding repeated disturbance to property owners if future county master thoroughfare improvements require additional work; (2) uncertainty in cost estimates because drainage, potential condemnation, and utility relocation have not been studied; and (3) how to set a realistic timeline the county could commit to without final design or right-of-way appraisals.

Options discussed: The district offered several paths the court could consider: (a) provide a letter committing to study or perform the improvements and include a projected timeline and owner responsibilities, (b) seek a waiver from Seguin until post-occupancy traffic data are available, or (c) cost-share design and construction at a later date under an interlocal agreement. The district also suggested re-running a TIA after the new campus opens to compare actual traffic counts with forecasted volumes so the county and city could make a data-driven decision.

Next steps: Court members asked staff to continue coordinating with the district and the city of Seguin and indicated they expect a future request for a county letter or formal interlocal approach once cost and schedule information are developed. No county commitment or formal vote occurred at the June 10 meeting.

Ending: Navarro ISD officials said they were available to work with county staff and the city on further study and to provide cost estimates; the court did not take formal action but signaled openness to further coordinated study and to consider a letter or agreement when clearer cost and schedule data are available.