Upcoming US 281 relief project puts Blanco family's home at risk

BLANCO, Texas (KXAN) – “I think we bought it in 78 or late, or early 79,” said Carla Ernst, referring to their Blanco homestead, sitting next to her husband Bill. 

Bill said they were the first family to move into their area nearly 50 years ago. It took them a while before they even had electricity. 

“The place had a lot of undergrowth,” Carla said. “We've cleared out and pulled down sticker vines and hauled rocks.”

“It was pretty much a forest,” Bill laughed. 

Years later, the amount of time and work they put into their utopia is clear. 

“We didn't have really have the money to pay contractors to come in,” Bill said. “It was all of our blood, sweat, and tears.” 

Then in early 2024, they heard that the Texas Department of Transportation was driving forward plans to build a US 281 bypass to “enhance safety and improve mobility along US 281 in the city of Blanco,” according to TxDOT.

TxDOT has several options for the bypass and has yet to announce a plan forward. Two of the options would put the road through Ernst’s property.

Carla said one of the plans would knock out their front gate and plant the new road only hundreds of feet from their front door. The other would go through a portion of their property, leading to the removal of several oak trees and compromising their well. 

“I don't know about anybody else, but I really don't want to live on a highway with a bunch of traffic and 18-wheelers,” Carla said.  

“This [property] Is our life savings. You know, this is what we've invested in. This is our [401K],” Bill added. 

A ‘critical’ project 

While TxDOT is the entity behind the project, stakeholders have communicated plans with Blanco officials. 

Blanco Mayor Mike Arnold said TxDOT has wanted to build a US 281 relief route for over a decade. 

“They've been suggesting this for at least 20 years, that I know. And it's only becoming more critical now because the traffic is increasing continually and shows no signs of stopping,” Arnold said. “It'll be mission-critical within 10 years. If we don't have a bypass in the works, it could be catastrophic for our town.”

Arnold said he would prefer if TxDOT chose one of the routes that did not bisect the Ernsts’ property, and chose an option that goes closer to Blanco. 

“We need it close enough to the city of Blanco, so it can control [the road]and benefit from the tax base that will grow along the frontage,” he said. 

Arnold said that TxDOT will announce its final decision in the summertime. While he’s sympathetic to the people who might lose some of their property because of the project, he said someone is likely to be unhappy with the final decision. 

“There's not going to be a scenario where it's Win-Win-Win across the board. And that sucks. I want to minimize the impact on personal property and on the environment,” Arnold said.