The Texas Department of Transportation proposed a new traffic configuration for the intersection of Gattis School Road and SH 130 near the borders of Hutto, Round Rock and Pflugerville.

In a nutshell: TxDOT held virtual and in-person open houses in September detailing plans to add a diverging diamond designed to improve the intersection.

The proposal also includes new bypass lanes for SH 130 and reconstructing entrance and exit ramps for the toll road, according to project documents.

Per TxDOT, diverging diamond intersections are intended to eliminate left-turn conflicts and reduce traffic accidents.

What's next: TxDOT anticipates bidding the project out in mid-2027. Construction is expected to begin later that year.

Sweet Irene's Boutique will hold a grand opening in downtown Round Rock on Oct. 24. Owner Melissa Moody said the grand opening event will run from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ahead of the boutique's first week of operation starting Oct. 26.

What's happening? The event will include a live DJ, bites and beverages, a custom trucker hat bar, a permanent jewelry station, a henna artist, giveaways and prizes, she said.

About the business: The boutique will carry clothing for women and children, candles, jewelry and home decor with some stock supplied by local vendors.

A new gym in Kyle, a Rooms To Go in Leander and a Brakes Plus in Georgetown are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Project Longhorn ($366 million): This project includes constructing a new one-story data center building.

2. Texas Military Department Camp Mabry Building 8 ($36 million): This project involves constructing a 145,000-square-foot, two-story building.

3. EōS Fitness ($6.4 million): This project involves constructing a 42,556-square-foot structure, including a 2,558-square-foot outdoor exercise area, to be used as a health and fitness club.

4. Rooms To Go ($5.8 million): A Rooms To Go is coming to Leander, with construction set to wrap up next December.

5. Brakes Plus ($1.5 million): This project involves the construction of an auto service facility with associated site work.

6. Juanes Mexican Restaurant ($300,000): A new Mexican restaurant is coming to Round Rock, with construction set to wrap up in December.

Texans interested in casting their midterm election ballots before Election Day can do so from Oct. 19-30, the state's early voting period.

The overview: Registered voters can visit any polling place in their county during early voting. They will receive a ballot with federal, state and local races—from the U.S. Senate and Texas governor to city and school district officials.

Dates to know

• Oct. 19: Early in-person voting begins

• Oct. 23: Deadline to apply to vote by mail

• Oct. 30: Early in-person voting ends

• Nov. 3: Election Day

Something to note: Local election officials are also working through a backlog of voter registrations after the Texas Department of Public Safety failed to send some registration records to counties, according to previous reporting. Texans who registered before the Oct. 5 deadline but do not appear on the rolls can still cast a provisional ballot, per the secretary of state.

More details: To check out candidate Q&As and review all races on local ballots, visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide.