A new traffic signal at Innovation Boulevard and Limmer Loop in Hutto is now operational.

The gist: Construction crews installed a new signal at the intersection, converting it from a two-way stop into a new four-lane signal stop intersection. The project cost around $2.23 million, stemming from the city’s capital projects fund. Residents are encouraged to use caution as drivers adjust to the new signal.

What else: The city also recently completed the conversion of Main Street into a one-way road going southbound from Live Oak Street to Hwy. 79. The city officially converted the street into a one-way road April 2. The project is part of the city’s plan to expand parking and improve pedestrian safety throughout the downtown area.

The city will next work on phase 3 of the project, which will convert West Street into a one-way road going northbound. Construction is expected to begin sometime this month.

Plans are in the works for a new location of Piada Italian Street Food in Pflugerville.

Overview: The casual Italian restaurant is expected to open in Stone Hill Town Center, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The restaurant serves a variety of pastas, piadas, salads and bowls. Customers will also find piada sticks, lobster bisque, grass-fed meatballs and garlic dough.

This would be the company’s first location in the Austin area. According to the TDLR filing, the scope of work includes renovating the interior of existing space within Stone Hill Town Center, and the project is expected to be completed in July. It will take over the space formerly home to Factory Mattress in Pflugerville.

From high school sports amenities to more parks and stores, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Titan NorthPark IX in Georgetown ($18 million): A 281,213-square-foot warehouse shell building will be built.

2. West Bastrop Village Pond Park ($2.6 million): The 106,000-square-foot park will offer sidewalks, athletic courts, playgrounds and open green space.

3. Gattis Retail Center Bldg 2 and 3 in Round Rock ($2.4 million): Developers will build two shell buildings on a roughly nine-acre tract of land as part of a future retail center.

4. Hendrickson HS Turf Field & Pond Design in Pflugerville ($2 million): Hendrickson High School will replace its existing baseball and softball fields with artificial turf fields. The project will feature a new drainage system and modification of the existing detention pond.

5. Eldorado Expansion in Austin ($1.5 million): Eldorado Cafe will add 4,402 square feet in restaurant space after becoming the tenant of an adjacent suite.

Funding for Texas’ education savings account program is expected to dry up before it reaches all low-income applicants, the state comptroller’s office announced April 2.

The overview: More than a quarter of a million students applied for the first year of Texas Education Freedom Accounts, which will give participating families access to state funds to send their children to private school or homeschool them.

The details: Most eligible students will be placed on a waitlist for the 2026-27 school year, as the $1 billion program is expected to serve between 90,000 and 100,000 students. State officials said all funds are expected to go to students with disabilities, their siblings and children from low-income families.

The state will use a four-tier, randomized lottery system to determine who is accepted. Once funding runs out, the remaining students will be placed on a waitlist.

How it works: Students with disabilities can receive up to $30,000 each in ESA funding, depending on their individual needs. Other accepted students will receive $10,474 for private education or $2,000 for homeschooling.

Three medical cannabis businesses have been conditionally approved to participate in the Texas Compassionate Use Program, state officials announced April 1.

The big picture: The companies received conditional licenses from the Texas Department of Public Safety in an effort to expand access to medical cannabis products. Under the compassionate use program, physicians can prescribe medical-grade, low-THC products to eligible patients in partnership with licensed dispensaries.

Zooming in: Two of the three businesses given conditional licenses April 1 are affiliated with existing medical cannabis dispensaries that work in several other states. The new licensees are:

• GTI Texas, LLC (doing business as RISE Dispensaries) in West Texas

• Cresco Labs Texas, LLC in East Texas

• Texas Medica Collective, LLC in Northeast Texas

Conditional licensees must pass additional state evaluations before they can begin operating, according to the DPS.

More context: As Texas expands its medical cannabis program, the state is also tightening restrictions on the multibillion-dollar consumable hemp industry, Community Impact reported.