Austin area residents will soon have a new option for convenient fueling of vehicles, boats and fleets.

What you need to know: A franchise of mobile fueling service Juiced Fuel will open in Central Texas, primarily serving the greater Austin area and Highland Lakes region, a Feb. 2 release from the company states.

Juiced Fuel was founded in Charleston, South Carolina, by Army veteran Korey McDavid and his wife Caroline.

About the owners: Ownership of the Austin-area franchise is based in Round Rock. It is owned by partners Clint and Amy Kiemsteadt and Mike and Lisa Hassel.

The details: The company brings fuel to the dock, driveway or job site to eliminate trips to the fuel pump or having to transport containers of gasoline. When the Austin service area is launched, customers can set appointments to have their vehicles or boats fueled at their convenience through the company's website or app.

Construction is underway on a $23 million roadway project along Gattis School Road, with crews beginning work Feb. 2 on the segment between Via Sonoma Trail and Red Bud Lane, known as Segment 6.

The details: The initial phase of construction will temporarily reduce the roadway from four lanes to two. Traffic patterns will shift as work progresses, and motorists should expect delays, particularly during the early stages of the project. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2027.

Once finished, the project will expand the corridor to a six-lane divided arterial between Via Sonoma Trail and Red Bud Lane. Planned improvements include a raised median, intersection upgrades, additional turn lanes, and new pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

City officials said the work is part of a broader effort by the city of Round Rock to modernize the Gattis School Road corridor.

From new worship spaces to a car wash and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week. 

1. St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church
Parishioners can soon worship at a new site, as St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church will build a two-story, 22,000-square-foot space. It will feature a seating area, a sanctuary with an altar, restrooms, a choir loft and sacristies—also called preparation rooms.

• Location: 230 Post Oak Drive, Dripping Springs
• Estimated timeline: July 1-Jan. 31, 2028
• Estimated cost: $17 million 

• Location: 800 Heatherwilde Blvd., Pflugerville 
• Estimated timeline: March 1-June 30, 2027
• Estimated cost: $5.5 million 

• Location: 3375 S. Interstate 35, San Marcos
• Estimated timeline: July 20-Feb. 26, 2027
• Estimated cost: $4 million

Quartz and ceramic component manufacturer LTD Material LLC was awarded $1 million in state semiconductor investment funds to support its $25 million expansion in Austin, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Jan. 29.

LTD Material has two locations in the city, and in 2023 broke ground on a new 88,000-square-foot manufacturing and research facility next to its existing fabrication plant. The site will increase the company's capacity to produce high-purity quartz parts deemed "essential" for semiconductor manufacturing and wafer fabrication, according to Abbott's office, and create 40 jobs.

The $1 million award is provided through the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund, or TSIF, established under the 2023 Texas CHIPS Act enacted to incentivize semiconductor research and manufacturing statewide.

The LTD Material expansion is the latest TSIF recipient in Central Texas, where millions of dollars have been directed under the state CHIPS Act since 2023. This month, other regional semiconductor grant awards included a Round Rock component manufacturer and Williamson County technician training center.

Austin city officials held a groundbreaking Jan. 30 to commemorate the start of the first phase of construction on the Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative, which officials say will transform one of Austin's most iconic corridors.

Some background: Phase 1 of the project will include expanding sidewalks, adding pedestrian amenity zones, planting trees, upgrading bikeway barriers and adding turn lanes for vehicle traffic between Cesar Chavez and Seventh streets.

The $29 million initiative, funded by the 2020 mobility bond, is expected to last through 2030. Phase 1 will cost $13 million and is expected to be substantially completed by summer 2027. Construction along each block is expected to take approximately three months to complete. Short-term lane closures and detours will be in place throughout construction, but pedestrian and business building access will remain open.

Looking ahead: Officials are still going through final designs and working with stakeholders for Phase 2 of the project, which will span from Seventh to 11th streets. Previous discussions have considered reconstructing the four blocks into public plaza space.