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Commissioner Smith urges county-funded study to shape Highway 36A route amid rapid growth
Summary
Commissioner Smith asked the court to fund a county study to identify an optimal route for TxDOT’s proposed Highway 36A corridor and to protect potential corridor land from development, while staff and the judge said coordination with TxDOT and funding constraints mean any construction is years away.
Commissioner Smith asked Waller County’s budget committee to consider allocating money in the current budget cycle to begin a county-led study of the proposed Highway 36A corridor, saying early local planning would give the county influence over a route and reduce future right-of-way acquisition costs as development continues.
"If it's not in the budget, it doesn't happen," Commissioner Smith said, arguing that the county should act sooner rather than later to identify an ‘‘optimum route’’ and keep that corridor free of development that would increase acquisition costs later.
County staff and the judge said they support local study work but emphasized coordination with TxDOT’s corridor study and the county’s own thoroughfare-plan update. County Engineer Ross recommended aligning any county effort with the ongoing thoroughfare update to avoid undercutting TxDOT’s process and to make efficient use of consultant funding. Ross said some consulting money could be used to begin analysis this year.
The county judge framed the request as preparatory rather than an endorsement of a specific alignment: "This project... is not a funded project. There are no funds available for this today," the judge said, noting TxDOT funding and federal NEPA timelines could place construction well beyond the next decade.
Commissioners and staff discussed practical considerations: whether to run a county study in parallel with TxDOT’s corridor work, the timeline for a thoroughfare-plan update (estimated about 18 months), and the risk that future subdivisions could fill potential routes and make acquisitions far more expensive. Several commissioners said starting a county-level study would provide more local input and give landowners earlier notice about potential corridors.
No formal budget appropriation was made at the meeting. Commissioners directed staff and budget committee members to explore funding options and return with cost estimates and a recommended procurement path so the court can consider whether to start the study in the current fiscal year or include it in next year’s budget.
If the court approves funding later, staff said the study would include route alternatives, cost estimates, environmental constraints and public outreach to inform the county’s formal input to TxDOT’s process.
