(Seguin) — Seguin’s road to the future just got a major boost. The city of Seguin has been awarded more than $20 million in transportation grant funding, setting the stage for major roadway expansions and long-awaited pedestrian safety improvements in some of the city’s fastest growing and most heavily traveled areas.
Melissa Reynolds, city of Seguin director of capital projects and engineering, says the funding was awarded by the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO) and will support two major transportation improvement projects focused on congestion relief, connectivity, and walkability.
“The city of Seguin has once again been fortunate to receive support and funding from AAMPO for two transportation improvement projects. These projects will enhance safety and walkability, relieve future congestion in high-growth areas, and help prepare our community for continued development,” said Reynolds.
The largest portion of the funding — $18,889,774 — will go toward the Strempel Road Extension project, which will extend Strempel Road from Rudeloff Road to State Highway 123. The project includes approximately 4,100 linear feet of roadway improvements, along with sidewalks, drainage improvements, and potential shared-use paths and intersection lighting.
Reynolds explains how the project fits into a larger plan to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.
“We currently have underway, the Rudeloff Road Project, and it currently stops at Huber but coming on its tail once that one completes construction, not long after, we will be kicking off Phase Two. It’s going to take Rudeloff all the way to 123 and connect it at Hwy. 20. Strempel Road is going to come off just off of that intersection with a new Rudeloff and connect all the way back to where Strempel, Martindale hits 123. So, we will have two access points at 123 that will get you back to Rudeloff and then to 46, which is great. It makes running traffic out is how you prevent congestion,” said Reynolds.
The second project, according to Reynolds, focuses on alternative transportation and pedestrian safety. The city received $2,030,837 for improvements along U.S. 90 Alternate and State Highway 46, including the construction of approximately 2.5 miles of concrete sidewalks and shared-use paths. She says the project will enhance pedestrian access near local school campuses and Texas Lutheran University.
“The other project is a little more exciting in that regard because it’s going to come quite a bit faster. It’s in the 2030 (plan) which means construction might not be until 2030, but we have opportunities to advance if we can get the project ready,” said Reynolds. “That one is really an exciting project. It’s a transportation alternative which means not cars so it’s a sidewalk and trails project that is going to connect two of our schools off of Kingsbury and Court and provide walkability down Kingsbury and Court Street and 46 and TLU.”
More importantly, Reynolds says this particular project addresses a critical safety need in an area where students regularly walk without sidewalks.
“That area of Court Street and Kingsbury right there – you see kids walking all the time getting to those schools and there are no sidewalks and so getting them safely across 46 is a major goal and again, that’s that partnership with TxDOT,” said Reynolds. “It’s not as much money because sidewalks don’t cost as much as a road, but we are very fortunate to get it and to have that moving and I think we can get that moving much faster.”
Reynolds says these types of projects go to show how regional partnerships are essential in making them possible.
“These are projects that we probably wouldn’t be able to fund locally and may not even have happened without support of regional partners like AAMPO,” said Reynolds.
Although the projects are still a few years from construction, city officials say having the funding secured now means planning and design work can begin, keeping the projects moving forward rather than on hold.