Williamson County Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles was joined by the Texas Department of Transportation, Samsung and City of Taylor officials for a groundbreaking ceremony for the CR 404 and FM 973 Improvement Project on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. The project includes work at the intersection of CR 404 and FM 973 which will widen both roads.

“This is a very exciting project. It’s going to allow us to create a wider, safer road for neighbors in the area and will help traffic get in and out of the Samsung site, “ said Commissioner Russ Boles. “Anytime we can get a project started, we’re that much closer to finishing it. That means people can get to work and school faster, and it improves the overall quality of life.”

CR 404 will be four lanes and FM 973 will be three lanes, including one lane in each direction with a center turn lane and dedicated right turn lanes to the Samsung facility driveways. Traffic signals at the intersections of CR 404 and FM 973 and at FM 973 and Samsung Highway are included in the plans and will be installed when traffic warrants.

“Safety is the number one concern at Samsung, and it all begins with how we get to work, “ said Dana Harris, Director of Government Relations at Samsung. “We look forward to working with the county and TxDOT to make this a great place to live, play and work in Williamson County and in Taylor, Texas.”

The design engineer is HNTB. The contractor is Jordan Foster. Construction of the project is funded through the voter-approved 2019 Road Bond for $4,622,143.93 and with funding from Samsung. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2023.

“This truly is a partnership between TxDOT, Samsung and Williamson County,” said Tucker Ferguson, Austin District Engineer for TxDOT. We have a tremendous history partnering with Williamson County and all of our projects have elements of safety, mobility and easing congestion and this one fits right into that mold. We couldn’t be more proud to work with the county and congratulate them on this project.”