TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — A highway expansion project in southwest Taylor is proceeding alongside construction of Samsung’s semiconductor plant. The influx of large trucks, road noise, and the closure of County Road 404 that connects one end of town to the other have raised concerns among neighbors.
In August, Williamson County commissioners approved the relinquishment of possession and use rights to the portion of CR 404 passing through the Samsung site, which accounts for the majority of the road.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles explained that once the rights to a road are relinquished by the county, ownership reverts to whoever owns the land – in this case, Samsung.
Commissioner Boles said it’s uncertain whether the road will eventually reopen to traffic, but the first phase of the County’s Southeast Loop will help restore the CR 404 east-west connection once provided.
Eventually, the new road will connect State Highway 130, FM 3349 and US Hwy 79. The first part of the project will connect these last two roads and is expected to be completed by summer 2023. The second phase is expected to be completed. in 2024.
“It’s going to be wider, it’s going to be better constructed, it’s going to have a median in the middle. So it will be safer all around,” Commissioner Boles said.
Road building often comes with growing pains, and neighbors who live along CR 404 say they currently suffer from it.
A neighbor who asked to keep her name withheld said she had lived in the area for 34 years and the noise and increased traffic was a nuisance.
“The construction was like a nightmare. I have to leave 15 or 20 minutes earlier than before just to get through all this truck traffic,” she said.
She said she and several neighbors had considered moving in anticipation of new developments that may arise around the Samsung factory. However, rising house prices in the area have put her in a bind.
“You can’t really afford to move anywhere else,” she said. “So it’s like you’re selling and moving, where are you going to go?”
Samsung has issued the following statement regarding the ongoing construction on and around the CR 404:
“Samsung has been in regular contact with neighbors adjacent to our property since the beginning of the year. We want to keep them informed of things that are important to them, such as roads. Residents will still have access to their driveways during the expansion of the CR 404.”
