ATX-GEO: Impact 11/3/2025

Georgetown is considering removing speed bumps from its list of adopted traffic calming measures in the proposed 2025 Neighborhood Traffic Management policy.

The details: While traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, humps and cushions can reduce speed by 15-20 mph, they can also hinder emergency vehicles and contribute to noise pollution, Georgetown Transportation Manager Lua Saluone said at an Oct. 28 City Council workshop meeting.

Although these measures reduce traffic by 20%, they can create a backup elsewhere, pushing traffic onto neighboring roads, Saluone said.

The 2025 Neighborhood Traffic Management policy proposes removing speed humps, raised intersections and crosswalks, and full closures and one-way streets from the approved traffic calming measures.

About the program: Georgetown’s Neighborhood Traffic Management Program allows residents to address concerns about speeding, traffic and safety.

Homeowner and neighborhood groups can request traffic studies and improvements on existing city streets through a formal application process, as long as they have support from a majority of residents.

Speedy Stop, a convenience store and gas station proposed in Georgetown, will move forward with its new location near I-35 and SH 95 following Georgetown City Council's approval of an annexation and rezoning Oct. 28.  

What is it?: Speedy Stop has locations throughout Texas, including gas stations, convenience stores and car washes. The new Georgetown location is near the Berry Creek Truck Stop.

The setup: The proposed site already had a base commercial zoning, which allows for uses such as convenience stores. City Council members voted to annex the site into city limits and change the zoning to regional center to accommodate the gas station. 

Here are the top Community Impact stories in the Austin area from Oct. 27-31.

1. Taiwan-based tech company to locate first US manufacturing facility in Georgetown

2. TxDOT spends $748M to burrow bus-size tunnels under Central Austin

3. The Flats opens in downtown Round Rock after relocation

4. Check out 3 of the latest development stories in Bastrop County

5. GFiber to start connecting Georgetown homes, businesses in 2026

6. New Bee Cave Trader Joe’s opens Oct. 29

As Thanksgiving approaches, families and running enthusiasts in Austin and the surrounding areas are gearing up for the holiday tradition of turkey trots.

This list highlights eight events, offering a variety of abilities and distances for those still seeking or yet to register for a trot.

San Marcos
Thankful Turkey 5K and Kids Run: Thankful Turkey’s 5k and kid run will hold its 22nd annual trot. All proceeds will go back into the San Marcos community to benefit local and Lions’ charities and youth programs.

• Nov. 22, 8 a.m.
• 325 W. McCarthy Ln., Hays

• Nov. 27, 7 a.m.
• 701 W. Riverside Dr., Austin

• Nov. 27, 8 a.m.
• 18216 Weiss Ln., Pflugerville

Millions of Texans may see delays in their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits beginning Nov. 1, as the federal government shutdown reaches the one-month mark.

The latest: The federal food assistance program is set to run out of funding in November, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Two federal judges ruled Oct. 31 that the Trump Administration must use federal contingency funds, which are stockpiled for emergency expenses, to fund SNAP in November, although the next steps surrounding SNAP benefits were unclear as of press time.

The local impact: Over 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits each month, according to Feeding Texas, the statewide network of food banks.

“People are at risk of going hungry if the government doesn't reopen and SNAP benefits are delayed. … These are already vulnerable Texans,” Feeding Texas CEO Celia Cole said in an Oct. 27 interview.

Food banks across the state Texas food banks previously expanded their operations to meet increased demand as thousands of federal workers go without paychecks during the shutdown.