The Hays County Sheriff's Office is increasing patrols along a section of Highway 290 south of Austin to address a spike in traffic accidents.
"We're all trying to save a minute or two or 10 minutes while we're driving from point A to point B," Deputy Anthony Hipolito said. "But is that three to four minutes worth it when you're involved in a traffic accident or a traffic fatality?"
The officers will patrol the stretch between Nutty Brown Road and Sawyer Branch Road. Hipolito said the department has seen dozens of car crashes on this small stretch of road since the beginning of the year.
Hipolito said the highway leading from Austin to Dripping Springs has seen an increase in drivers, likely from the region's rapid residential and commercial growth. Hays County is one of the quickest-growing counties in the state and grew over 53% in the past decade, according to U.S. census data.
"We couldn't just sit back idly and watch this continue to happen," he said. "So we came up with this operation that'll go through the next couple of weeks."
The Sheriff's Office will collect data on traffic incidents through Sept. 19 and evaluate whether the added patrols make a difference.
Hipolito said part of the long-term solution for mitigating crashes along Highway 290 is increasing the presence of police officers. Another part will be collaborating with Travis County, which sees much of the traffic flowing to and from this area, and spreading the word to people who drive on the road frequently.
