Three major road reconstruction projects in the city of Buda have seen progress in the design phase. As final designs move closer to completion, the projected costs of each project become clearer.

According to current project projections, the city does not have the budget to fund the construction of all three projects in their current stage, said Capital Improvements Program Manager Austin Messerli.

The gist: Proposition A of the 2021 Buda Bond Project, funding transportation projects, has a $9 million deficit between the approved funding and project costs, according to agenda documents.

All three projects are projected to cost more than their allocated funding, according to agenda documents:

• Austin Street reconstruction project: projected $1.9 million deficit
• Old Black Colony Road reconstruction project: projected $5.9 million deficit
• West Goforth Road reconstruction project: projected $7.1 million deficit

A new president has been named for two Ascension Seton locations in Central Texas. Megan Drake is the president of the Ascension Seton Hays Hospital in Kyle, alongside the hospital’s Bastrop location.

Drake has a background in health care administration and experience leading operational excellence, strategic growth initiatives and advancing quality patient care, according to a news release.

Quote of note: "We are thrilled to welcome Megan to Ascension Seton Hays and look forward to the vision and leadership she will bring to our hospital and the communities we serve," Jamie Youssef, CEO for Ascension Texas, said in the release.

Career history: Drake spent the last seven years as a chief operating officer at St. David’s HealthCare and recently served at the St. David’s South Austin Medical Center. Before working in Austin, Drake served as the chief operating officer at Shelby Baptist Medical Center, a 252-bed hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport officials announced May 24 that its newest airline partner, Cayman Airways, will offer a seasonal nonstop route between Austin and Owen Roberts International Airport in the Cayman Islands through August.

The details: According to officials, the route is Cayman Airways' only nonstop service from Texas. The route will operate on Sundays weekly through Aug. 16 on a Boeing 737-8 aircraft and feature:

• 160 seats, including a Business Class cabin
• Free carry-on bag and personal item
• Complimentary meals and the airline's signature Seven Fathoms Rum Punch
• Free streaming inflight entertainment
• Device charging at every seat

Check out the latest transportation updates across the Austin metro.

Upcoming projects
CR 175 widening
Project: The project will widen south of Creek Meadow Cove to RM 2243 in Leander, and is expected to improve capacity and regional connectivity.
Update: Phase 2 preliminary design is complete, and design completion is expected later this year.

• Timeline: 2027-28

• Cost: $42.8 million

• Funding source: 2023 road bond

Completed projects
Hwy. 71 and Uplands Ridge Drive signal
Project: The new signalized light provides easier access to and from the H-E-B in Bee Cave for those traveling east or west on Hwy. 71 through a protected turn in and out of The Uplands neighborhood.
Update: The new traffic light was activated in May. 

• Timeline: completed mid-May

• Cost: not available as of press time

• Funding source: TxDOT