Several transportation projects in New Braunfels are moving forward after the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or AAMPO, approved millions of dollars in funding for new and existing projects.

The city of New Braunfels and the Texas Department of Transportation, or TxDOT, were awarded funding through AAMPO’s fiscal year 2027-30 Transportation Improvement Program. With the latest approvals, AAMPO’s total investment in New Braunfels road construction projects is expected to reach approximately $146 million, according to a news release.

The details: Seven projects in New Braunfels received funding through the program, three of which are existing projects requiring additional funds to address rising construction costs, the release states.

Existing projects include:

• $7.5 million in additional funding for the city’s $22 million Barbarosa Road and Saur Lane Improvement Project, increasing the federal contribution to $17.6 million
• $8.3 million in additional funding for TxDOT’s FM 725 Improvement Project
• $14.3 million in additional funding for TxDOT’s I-35 at the Solms Interchange Improvement Project

A new golf simulator is on its way to New Braunfels.

Zooming in: The Back Nine Golf is planning to open in April within the New Braunfels MarketPlace shopping center at 651 N. Business I-35, Ste. 520, local franchise owner Aaron Kehe told Community Impact.

The simulator chain has around 20 locations in Texas and is planning on growing that number to 50 or 60, Kehe said.

Sorting out details: The Back Nine Golf has virtual courses from around the world, in addition to driving range training and club swing profiles. The golf simulator business will also host tournaments, kids camps and more, Kehe said.

Players will be able to use replay cameras to work on swings. There will also be 24/7 access to those with memberships, Kehe said. 

• 651 N. Business I-35, Ste. 520, New Braunfels

Here's a roundup of some of the live music and concerts going on across the New Braunfels area this upcoming January and February.

The Villa
1190 Gruene Road, New Braunfels

• Jan 16: Alli Mattice Band, 8:30 p.m.
• Jan.17: File 13, 8:30 p.m.
• Jan. 23: Soultwang Band, 8:30 p.m.

• Jan. 15: West Bound Hearts, 6 p.m.
• Jan. 16: Logan Ryan Band, 8 p.m.
• Jan. 17: Daniel Phipps, 11 a.m.; Cactus Lee, 1 p.m.; Tyler Halverson, 9 p.m.

• Jan. 15: Rick Reyna Band, 8 p.m.
• Jan. 16: "Desert Highway" A Tribute to the Eagles, 8:30 p.m.
• Jan. 17: The Corey Weaver Band, 9 p.m.

• Jan. 16: The Homebodies, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 17: Max and Heather Stalling, 8 p.m.
• Jan. 18: Kayla Jane’s Pickers Circle, 4 p.m.

Approximately three dozen new Texas laws are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, impacting how artificial intelligence is used in state government, when local officials can raise taxes after natural disasters and how much of businesses' inventory is taxed.

The background: The changes come after Texas’s biennial legislative session ended in early June. Gov. Greg Abbott signed over 1,100 laws passed by state lawmakers, many of which took effect in June or September.

The details: Some of the bills becoming law in the new year are:

• House Bill 9, which will expand a tax exemption for business owners
• House Bill 30, which will tighten regulations on counties' and cities' abilities to raise tax rates after natural disasters
• House Bill 149, which will regulate the fast-growing AI industry
• House Bill 247, which will exempt certain border security infrastructure from property tax increases
• House Bill 1399, which will create a property tax exemption for stores selling animal feed
• House Bill 2508, which will establish a property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of certain military members