The Dacy Lane Realignment and Expansion Project at Sunflower Circle in Kyle is officially complete. Almost three years to the day, dignitaries from Hays County turned out Thursday to celebrate its completion with a ribbon cutting.
“This project is an important arterial to both the City of Kyle and Hays County to provide better safety and mobility to this area,” said Hays County Precinct 1 Commissioner, Debbie Gonzales-Ingalsbe. “We’re thankful to the City of Kyle for their great partnership on this, and other important projects, to help our community.”
The project began on April 19, 2021, as part of the 2016 Road Bond program — a voter-approved $131.4 million program — and stretches from Bebee Road to Hillside Terrace.
“The improvements realigned and reconstructed Dacy Lane into a five-lane roadway from Bebee Road to Amberwood Loop, and a three-lane roadway from Amberwood Loop to Hillside Terrace,” Gonzales-Ingalsbe said. “It also constructs a 10-foot shared use path at various high pedestrian use locations such as Chapa Middle School and McCormick Middle School and creates new traffic signals at the Dacy Lane and Bebee Road intersection and the Dacy Lane and Windy Hill Road intersection.”
Precinct 2 Commissioner, Dr. Michelle Cohen, said the $20 million it took to complete the project came from the 2016 Road Bond package.
“Funding went towards design, environmental clearance, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, construction, engineering and inspection,” Cohen said. “All of this was taken care of within the road bond. One of the benefits of having this new road is simply its realignment – the way it looks right now,” Cohen said. “If you remember what it used to look like a few years ago, it was barely a two-lane road. Seeing it the way it looks today is remarkable.”
Cohen also thanked the project team consisting of HNTB Corporation, program manager/GEC; Jordan Foster Construction, contractor; LIA Engineering, design/utility coordination; LAN, Inc., ROW acquisition; and BGE, Inc., construction, engineering and inspection.
Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell said he suspects things will continue to “change and transform” on the east side of Kyle.
“It’s going to transform, and we have to be willing to embrace it and get excited about the role we play in making that transformation positive,” Mitchell said. “If we're not being proactive, there’s a chance the development sort of leads us – as opposed to us the development. I think the County and the City both have great teams in place to make sure we're the ones driving the change and the change that we want to see.”
Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright of Hays CISD said he appreciates the partnerships and support.
“The aesthetic of this road, and all the streetlights, it’s just beautiful,” Wright said. “The connectivity and mobility make it so much better for our bus drivers. The school appreciates you and we're glad to partner with you moving forward.”