Williamson County, alongside officials from Liberty Hill and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), marked a milestone on Tuesday, Dec. 2, with the grand opening of the Freedom River Parkway, a new transportation artery designed to improve traffic flow in the region. According to the county’s announcement, this recently completed segment of the roadway, which extends from RM 1869 to CR 279/Bagdad Road with added turn lanes at both intersections, signifies a leap forward in the execution of the county's Long Range Transportation Plan. The roadway, which came to life thanks to a clear-cut voter decision in 2019 to fund the project through the WilCo Road Bond, is hoped to offer some reprieve from the congested SH 29 corridor that runs through Liberty Hill.
Speaking at the ceremony, Pct. 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long echoed the sentiments of many, stating, “This section of Freedom River Parkway will help alleviate traffic in downtown Liberty Hill,” and she drew attention to the planning and foresight over 16 years ago that paved the way for this critical infrastructure, the Freedom River Parkway is part of the broader initiative, which includes two additional phases, Freedom River Parkway West and East, efforts to thin out the persistent bumper-to-bumper tangle that plagues SH 29, as stated by Williamson County. When the entire network is complete, a reprieve to this congestion promised years back will finally be tangible to commuters and residents alike.
The ceremony also marked a moment of rebranding as the new roadway shed its old moniker 'Liberty Hill Bypass' for the more evocative 'Freedom River Parkway.' Commissioner Long elucidated the choice, stating, “Liberty Hill and our nation are about freedom, and the next phase of the project is going to cross the San Gabriel River, so we thought it would be appropriate to name this road Freedom River Parkway,” as per Williamson County. The investment for this stretch of road reached $14.44 million, a bill footed by a coalition of willing taxpayers and a partnership with the City of Liberty Hill, which pitched in with right-of-way donations and infrastructural touches like a cul-de-sac at Stubblefield Lane.
With LJA Engineering leading the design work and Chasco Constructors overseeing construction, the project has moved from a line on a map to a road ready for public use. The newly opened middle section of Freedom River Parkway is only one piece of a larger county effort that includes the West and East segments. Those remaining portions are still in planning, with designs expected to be completed by spring 2026 and construction slated to begin that summer, funded by the 2023 voter-approved Williamson County Road Bond.
