The beloved late State Representative, Edmund Kuempel, spoke for many of us after seeing a picture of 2nd Crossing on the Guadalupe River when he said, "That's as good as it gets in this State, that ain’t gonna happen."

What he was referring to was the destructive bridge planned across the Guadalupe River Road as part of the proposed New Braunfels Outer Loop.

Representative Kuempel might be pleased to know that a new parkway transportation plan, without the Outer Loop, has been proposed by the City Planning Department. This plan was endorsed by a 5 to 3 vote of the New Braunfels Planning Commission on November 15. The plan must now go to the City Council for a final decision.

The Planning Department, working with a technical committee and with input from the community, has devised a transportation plan that deserves our support. The team included experts from the City of Seguin, Guadalupe County, Comal County, TX DoT and the consulting firm hired to facilitate the formation of a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for our area.

Because New Braunfels’s population is over 50,000, according to the last census, the city must either form a local MPO or join San Antonio’s MPO, which many people believe would not be in our best interest.

Here are some reasons to support the new plan:

  • It calls for using and improving 75% of our existing roadways. This is an effective, as well as, fiscally and environmentally responsible approach.
  • It helps preserve the ambiance, natural resources and fragile environment of our beautiful Texas Hill Country and does not promote unregulated growth.
  • It minimizes the impact and potential pollution to the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. The Edwards Aquifer is a sole source water supply for over 2,000,000 Texans.
  • It helps to preserve the fragile ecosystem, wildlife and aquatic species found in the Guadalupe River.
  • It preserves a Texas treasure, the Guadalupe River Road, named the most beautiful drive in Texas by USA Today, June, 2011, and the tourist industry which is important to the economy of the City of New Braunfels and Comal County.
  • It does not add to the drainage and flooding problems created by the impervious cover associated with building roadways through the rugged cliffs along River Road.
  • It will help mitigate air, water, light and noise pollution concerns in Comal County.

Asking citizens to support the plans of local government officials is indeed rare in the contentious society we find ourselves today. But the new transportation plan, while facilitating the future transportation needs so important to our growing population, will also be environmentally sensitive and retain the unique hill country landscape which is our trademark.

The New Braunfels City Council and community have recently taken historic measures to protect our natural resources. A fiscally responsible and environmentally aware transportation plan is a logical next step. The transportation vote will be an even more significant decision for our community.

We’re all waiting to see If Mr. Kuempel’s prediction comes true.