Bastrop County is experiencing a major infrastructure shift, as local governments and state agencies have kicked off several transportation projects designed to ease congestion, improve safety and keep pace with the region’s growth.

Upcoming projects
290 extension: A schematic design to reduce congestion along 15 miles of Hwy. 290 between Hwy. 130 and Hwy. 95 South will be developed.
Update: public survey concluded Oct. 10.

• Timeline: expected to complete first draft of schematic design mid-2026
• Cost: TBD

• Timeline: expected to finalize design plans in spring 2026
• Cost: $145 million

• Timeline: construction began in November
• Cost: $4.36 million

Seafood lovers can get a taste of the Gulf Coast in Bastrop, as Dockside BTX is reeling in customers with a menu built around fresh catches.

The details: The restaurant, which recently passed its inspections, held a soft opening with a limited menu in late November, and customers were excited to welcome the business to town.

“We thought the food was delicious, and the service and employees were great,” Robin Bridges Rudloff, a Bastrop resident, said in a Facebook post following her first meal at Dockside BTX.

What’s on the menu: Dockside BTX plans to expand its menu—which features seafood boils and fried foods—in the coming weeks.

“One of the items that you might see on the menu over the next couple of weeks is oysters, and that’s something that a lot of people have been asking for," said co-owner Josh Nguyen​​​​​.

One more thing: Dockside BTX fills the former Cedar's Mediterranean Grill, which closed in January 2024 after owner, chef, and longtime Bastrop resident Khalil Younes passed away.

• 904 College St., Bastrop

A dozen new Texas laws are scheduled to take effect Dec. 4. The new laws come 90 days after the end of a special legislative session that took place this summer.

The overview: Some of the bills becoming law Dec. 4 include:

• House Bill 8, which will replace the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, with three shorter exams beginning in fall 2027
• House Bill 18, which is designed to deter future legislators from leaving the Texas Capitol to prevent a legislative chamber from considering legislation, known as breaking quorum
• Senate Bill 54, which will roll back a short-lived rule that allowed registered Texas voters who moved within a county to update their address at the polls and immediately vote in their new precinct