County officials eye road improvements

BY ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH/HIGHLAND LAKES NEWSPAPERS

County commissioners are eyeing some much needed roadway improvements to reduce the affects of flooding.

In a meeting on Friday, April 21, commissioners discussed working with an engineering firm to determine where improvements might be made to county roads with drainage or flooding issues.

“We're working with K.C. Engineering to identify problem areas on county roads at low water crossings,” said Burnet County Judge James Oakley, adding that so far, officials are only interested in identify where the projects are and what each project might cost.

“We have 50 to 60 year old water crossings that need better drainage structures,” he said.

One example of how severe the need is, Oakley said, is that Burnet Consolidated ISD occasionally has to cancel school on rainy days because school buses can't cross low water crossings in some areas of the county.

“The buses can't get to the kids,” he said. “These projects would enhance the infrastructure we've got to make roadways and low water crossings more suitable in moderate to heavy rain events.

“We've got a large rural population. This would be a safer situation for citizens,” he said. “It will be easier for first responders to get to people.”  

For more on the story, see the upcoming edition of The Highlander.