Williamson County leaders, TxDOT, and local officials grabbed the ceremonial shovels Thursday to mark the start of a $132 million overhaul of Hero Way (RM 2243) between Leander and Georgetown. The first phase will rebuild and realign about 3.5 miles of the corridor, adding lanes, straightening some notorious curves, and carving out a shared-use path for people walking and biking. County leaders say the work targets increasingly packed west-to-east commutes as new development continues to fill in along the route.
What the project will do
Phase 1A calls for reconstructing, realigning, and widening the stretch between U.S. 183A and Garey Park into a higher-capacity roadway, with long-term plans to convert RM 2243 into a divided, controlled-access highway with two main lanes in each direction and three-lane frontage roads. Part of the alignment will stay on the current Hero Way between 183A and Ronald Reagan Boulevard before shifting to a new route designed to straighten curves and improve safety, according to Williamson County. For now, Phase 1A will build a single frontage road that temporarily handles two-way traffic until the matching frontage road is added in a future phase.
How it's being paid for
Local officials describe the work as part of a roughly $132 million corridor effort to boost mobility between Leander and Georgetown, with Phase 1A construction estimated at about $30 million and largely supported by $20 million in federal funding, as reported by Community Impact. Most right-of-way purchases were covered by the voter-approved 2019 Williamson County road bond. The City of Leander has also chipped in millions of dollars for right-of-way and related construction expenses to keep the project moving.
County breakdown: land, construction and federal support
According to a Williamson County news release, right-of-way purchases along the corridor topped $100 million, and construction for Phase 1A is projected at about $30.1 million. Federal appropriations are providing $20 million toward the build. The county has tapped BGE as design engineer and Chasco Constructors as contractor, and officials say TxDOT will take over maintenance once construction wraps. “That kind of persistence says a lot about the people here,” Congressman John Carter said in the county statement, crediting years of local lobbying for finally landing the funding.
Timeline, design and next phases
Phase 1A is expected to wrap up in early 2028. Design work for Phase 1B is slated to begin this year, with separate planning in progress for Phase 2, which would link 183A to Ronald Reagan Boulevard, as reported by Community Impact. County materials note that additional phases will roll out as growth and funding allow, meaning drivers along some parts of Hero Way should expect on-and-off construction for several years. Engineers say the first frontage road will carry two-way traffic until the opposite frontage road is built in a later phase.
What drivers should expect
Crews will be straightening curves, adding dedicated lanes, and building out the shared-use path, so nearby residents should plan for construction staging, detour,s and temporary changes to access as work advances. The City of Leander is maintaining a local Hero Way page with traffic alerts and community meeting information for neighbors tracking the project, while county project pages include schematics and schedule details for anyone who wants to dive into the maps. Officials say they will roll out staging and detour plans as construction ramps up in an effort to keep disruptions in check where they can.
