Williamson County approves engineering studies for Power Plant and Cochran roads

County commissioners voted Dec. 19 to authorize preliminary engineering work on two roadway projects: a structural study for the Power Plant Road bridge and a safety study on Cochran Road east of Market.

County staff identified the Power Plant Road structure as "aging" and said it "needs some partial bit patching" and approach work near guardrail; the agreement with Hansen will fund preliminary engineering to evaluate whether to replace the deck or pursue targeted patching and retrofitting. Staff estimated environmental work for that study will take about a year.

Commissioners also approved a Cochran Road study focusing on three blind hills east of Market. Staff said the Cochran work will be pursued with federal funds and noted a funding figure of "90 k" for that study; they cited prior crashes in the corridor as motivation for the sight‑distance improvements.

Both items were moved, seconded and approved on roll calls during the meeting. The board did not set construction or final repair decisions at the Dec. 19 meeting; the engineering agreements authorize planning, analysis and cost estimates so commissioners can later choose between full replacement, targeted repairs or other mitigation steps.

Next steps include completing the preliminary engineering reports and environmental reviews, after which staff will return to the board with cost estimates and recommended actions.