(Seguin) — The Seguin City Council has thrown its support behind a state plan to expand and upgrade State Highway 46 — an effort to improve safety and prepare for future growth in the region.
The council voted Tuesday to support a plan by the Texas Department of Transportation to improve the highway between Interstate 10 in Seguin and Interstate 35 in New Braunfels.
TXDOT officials have been asking for more public backing for the proposal, which is still in the planning phase.
Jennifer Shortess, the city’s assistant director of engineering and capital projects, made the presentation to the council.
Shortess told council members that traffic has steadily increased along the corridor and is expected to continue rising as development across the region accelerates.
“(There is an) 84-percent predicted increase in vehicles by 2048 in Guadalupe County. Along with that global view of Guadalupe County, you can see here on our development layer how there are several other developments that are in planning stages. Also note that the Texas State Technical College campus is not shown on this map yet, but one day will be a feature for future development,” said Shortess.
Shortess said the city closely tracks traffic patterns and roadway safety data, which clearly shows the need for improvements along Highway 46.
“The city of Seguin has a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, and it identifies crashes and major injuries on Texas right-of-ways and the city’s right-of-ways. City staff monitor this and update this regularly so that we can have the best information we have. As you can see, there are multiple crashes, and even the red dot means fatalities. So, the expansion of SH-46 is in line with Seguin’s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan,” said Shortess.
While final plans have not yet been adopted by TXDOT, Shortess said the current proposal includes upgrades designed to accommodate multiple forms of transportation.
“This project will help address several problems such as increased traffic demand, safety, and also different modes of users — so, you’ll also have sidewalks and cycling areas,” said Shortess.
The council unanimously approved a resolution in support of the regional expansion project. TXDOT remains in the planning stages, and no timeline for construction has yet been announced.
