1. Lack of Community Engagement Violated Principles of Procedural Fairness

In January 2024, TxDOT and Travis County initiated advance right-of-way (ROW) acquisition without consulting affected property owners or the broader community. Stakeholders were not invited to participate in discussions about the project’s scope, necessity, or alternatives. They were simply notified.

This top-down approach undermines trust, violates principles of inclusive planning, and gave the clear impression that critical decisions had already been made. It triggered significant and growing community opposition.

2. Community Opposition Fueled by Top-Down Decision-Making

Affected residents were treated as obstacles rather than stakeholders. Early, meaningful engagement could have led to design alternatives, alignment adjustments, or mitigation strategies that preserved community support and reduced impacts. 

Instead, the failure to collaborate eliminated the opportunity for practical, less invasive solutions. The RM 1826 project has become a symbol of bureaucratic overreach and a case study in how to alienate the very people a project is supposed to serve.

3. Violation of TxDOT’s Public Involvement Policy

TxDOT’s own Public Involvement Policy calls for early, proactive engagement to improve outcomes and build public trust. However, with RM 1826, public outreach occurred only after key project decisions had been finalized.

While TxDOT may have technically complied with notice requirements and hearings, the absence of true early engagement—particularly before initiating ROW acquisition—violates the intent of its policy and makes public input feel performative rather than meaningful.

4. Flawed Traffic Modeling and Lack of Justification

The project’s justification relies on inflated traffic projections that contradict observed conditions and have not withstood independent scrutiny. For example, when our organization presented data showing significantly lower actual traffic volumes, TxDOT failed to explain the discrepancy or defend its modeling assumptions.

This lack of analytical transparency has eroded public confidence and calls the project’s entire rationale into question. A major infrastructure project should not proceed based on data that cannot be independently verified or logically defended.

5. Opaque and Unaccountable Planning Process

Despite strong community opposition and unresolved technical flaws, there is no clear or accessible process for modifying or removing the RM 1826 project from the UTP, RTP, or TIP. This gives the impression that once a project is added to these plans—often without public awareness or consent—it becomes effectively irreversible.

Such rigidity suggests that public input has little to no bearing on outcomes. This is fundamentally unacceptable in a transparent, accountable, and community-centered planning process.

6. Lack of Transparency in Use of 2023 Bond Funds

In 2023, Travis County voters approved a Capital Improvement Bond that included $25 million for “TxDOT Right-of-Way”—intended to support state road projects. What the public did not know is that this bucket included funds earmarked for RM 1826 ROW acquisition.

At the time of the election, no specific road projects were disclosed, leaving voters unaware that their approval of Proposition A would fund a controversial and largely hidden project. This lack of transparency in public finance undermines trust and highlights the need for stronger accountability in bond program disclosures.