As the summer draws to a close, several construction projects are underway around Leander and Liberty Hill. Here’s what to keep an eye out for.

Ongoing projects
Legacy Ranch Drive expansion
Project: Crews are working to expand approximately 0.6 miles from Seward Junction North Loop, also known as CR 258 and CR 260, to a CR 258 extension east of US 183, including new signals, pavement improvements, and turn lanes serving a future Liberty Hill ISD site.
Update: Contractors broke ground March 6.

• Timeline: March 2026-summer 2026
• Cost: $1.4 million
• Funding source: Williamson County 2023 road bond

• Timeline: August 2024-summer 2027
• Cost: $52.4 million
• Funding source: Williamson County 2019 road bond

A new mixed-use neighborhood off Ronald Reagan Boulevard received the green light to move forward with its development timeline.

The Leander City Council voted unanimously July 16 to approve a phasing plan for the Oakmont Ridge development, allowing all 80 single-family lots to be constructed in the same phase.

The details: To comply with city ordinances, the development needed approval from the city to build all 80 in one phase rather than 30 lots at a time.

The subdivision will also construct 135,783 square feet of commercial development in its first phase of construction, covering 36.5 acres. The project’s second and final phase would complete a remaining 43,000 square feet of commercial development. In total, the development would take up a little over 50 acres of land

Other projects: During the same meeting, the city of Leander approved a nearly $587,000 contract to add a traffic light at the intersection of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Vista Heights Drive, just south of the planned Oakmont Ridge subdivision.

Check out some of the most-read stories from the Austin area July 20-23. 

1. New bridge over Onion Creek opens in Buda, increasing city access

2. Liberty Hill approves $1.5M for preliminary planning of downtown project

3. Sunbird Ranch neighborhood to offer land-lease model for homebuyers 55-plus in Georgetown

4. New Braunfels to conduct full analysis of police headquarters due to structural issues

5. iScream Gelato coming to east Round Rock

6. Lost dogs and e-bikes: 5 stories to know in Bastrop-Cedar Creek

As more data centers are being built in Texas, the state’s water planning agency warns that limited information is available about the booming industry and its impact on water supplies.

The overview: The Texas Water Development Board adopted its initial 2027 State Water Plan on July 23, with a “more robust” version of the plan expected later this year. The plan consists of 3,000 water management projects and 6,700 strategies that experts say are needed to prepare for future severe droughts.

It will cost about $174 billion to complete the projects, according to the TWDB. However, if they are not implemented, a severe drought could cost the state $91 billion in economic damages as soon as 2030 and lead to $177 billion in annual losses by 2080.

The context: These projections do not account for the amount of water that data centers—which largely purchase their water from public systems—may use or how the large facilities could contribute to overall water availability. Right now, the board said it did not have enough information to do so.