Bastrop City Council will consider two change orders April 14 tied to the Old Iron Bridge rehabilitation project.

Totaling $552,003.88, the proposed changes include a new walking surface at both ends of the bridge and a stair connection to the riverwalk below.

What’s next? Both change orders would be paid for through the project contingency. If approved, the project contingency would total $1.42 million.

City Council will consider the items at its April 14 meeting at Bastrop City Hall, 1311 Chestnut St., Bastrop, at 6:30 p.m.

Bastrop shoppers will have to wait to browse handcrafted jewelry by local artist and business owner Anne Smarzik following the closure of Relics Artisan Jewelry & Gifts in February.

What they offered: In addition to jewelry, Smarzik and her husband Richard sold other items, including home decor, candles, cast-iron wall signs and more.

What’s next? Despite the closure, Anne Smarzik told Community Impact she isn’t done yet; shoppers can buy her creations later this year with the launch of a new website.

“We’re retiring the Relics trade name and will rebrand as Studio 925, which is a nod to our 925 Main St. address in Bastrop,” she said, noting that her silver jewelry will be marked with a .925 stamp to denote authenticity.

• 925 Main St., Bastrop

Check out the latest upcoming, ongoing or completed transportation projects around the Austin metro.

Ongoing projects
Oak Knoll Flood Risk Reduction
Project: The project will improve the storm drain system in part of the Oak Knoll neighborhood to reduce the risk of flooding. 
Update: According to Austin Capital Delivery Services, crews will next install storm drains along Woodcrest Drive and Columbia Oaks Court, during which time a 24-hour flagger station on Columbia Oaks Drive and J. Gregg Cove will be set up to control traffic.

• Timeline: 2025-27

• Cost: $9 million

• Funding source: city of Austin 2018 bond

Completed projects 
CARTS boosts metro-bound Bastrop County routes to cut traffic, emissions
Bastrop County commuters gained new transit options March 2 with the launch of two regional bus routes culminating in downtown Austin: one connecting Bastrop and Smithville, and the other connecting Georgetown and Round Rock. Riders can park at CARTS Park & Ride locations and take coach buses into Austin, offering an alternative to driving and downtown parking.

Texas retailers can resume selling smokable hemp products after a Travis County judge temporarily blocked some of the state’s sweeping new regulations on the hemp industry.

The background: On March 31, the state health department enacted rules changing how THC content is measured in consumable hemp, which industry experts said effectively outlawed most smokable hemp products.

The Texas Hemp Business Council, a federal hemp industry group, and several local hemp companies sued the state April 8, arguing that the state health department does not have the authority to reclassify legal THC levels. State officials have defended the rules, saying they are in line with a September executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, who at the time called for stricter oversight of the multibillion-dollar hemp industry.

The latest: Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble sided with the hemp industry in an April 10 ruling, directing the state not to enforce the new THC testing requirement and a restriction on the transportation of hemp products between states. An additional hearing is scheduled for April 23.