Williamson County cut the ribbon Thursday on a new stretch of East WilCo Highway connecting Hutto and Taylor, a $53.1 million roadway that officials say opened months ahead of schedule. The new segment gives drivers in the corridor a direct route between County Road 137 near Hutto and County Road 404 near Taylor, with one travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony, held Oct. 8, 2026, marked the formal completion of what county officials call Segment 2 of the broader East WilCo Highway project, according to Community Impact. Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles, who represents the area, said the segment ranks as the second-largest project in the history of the county's road bonds. “It's truly a great day to open this roadway for our residents, school buses and first responders to use and safely travel across our county,” Boles said.
From Groundbreaking to Ribbon-Cutting
Construction on the segment began in fall 2024 following a groundbreaking on Oct. 3 of that year, the same outlet reported at the time. JMT served as the design engineer on the project, while Capital Excavation handled construction as the contractor. The work was funded through the 2023 voter-approved Williamson County Road Bond.
Williamson County's own release described the project as finishing months ahead of schedule, though earlier reporting from Community Impact had pegged Segment 2's expected cost at $64.4 million and its anticipated completion at summer 2027 — both figures higher or later than what county officials announced this week. The dossier does not reconcile those earlier projections with the newly announced $53.1 million price tag and October 2026 completion, so both versions are noted here.
Part of a Longer Corridor Plan
At full buildout, East WilCo Highway is intended to connect State Highway 130 in the far south of Williamson County to Interstate 35 in Jarrell, creating a route across eastern Williamson County. The first piece of that puzzle, running from Texas 130 to CR 137, opened in fall 2023, according to the Taylor Press.
Williamson County and the Texas Department of Transportation also celebrated the opening of East WilCo Highway Segment 3 in June 2025, per the Williamson County Economic Development Partnership, and marked completion of the separate FM 971 road project in December 2025, according to KXAN.
A Separate Loop Project Also Wraps Up
On the same day as the Segment 2 ribbon-cutting, the East WilCo Highway Southeast Loop Connection project was also completed. That project added 1.65 miles of new roads and bridges and was designed to improve safety at the highway's intersections with FM 1660 and FM 3349, including a new traffic signal with pedestrian accessibility features, according to KXAN.
The Southeast Loop Connection project carried a reported cost of $7.1 million and was funded in part by a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with the 2023 bond. HUD officials have said the loop project would link residents to new job opportunities and support economic growth, as reported by the Taylor Press. County officials had earlier estimated the loop project's cost at about $7 million, a figure slightly below the finalized total.
A July 15, 2025 post from Williamson County's official X account listed several road projects, including East WilCo Highway Segment 2, Sam Bass Road, the Wyoming Springs Extension and CR 112 at Old Settlers. With Segment 2 and the Southeast Loop Connection now finished, both projects are part of the broader East WilCo Highway corridor.
