Burnet County develops long-term roadmap for transportation planning
This photo of Lake Marble Falls was used as the cover shot for the 2026 Burnet County Transportation Plan presentation. Burnet County government contributed image
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Burnet County Commissioners Court will consider approval of a transportation plan that will guide repairs, maintenance, and development of the county’s infrastructure through the year 2050.
The Commissioners Court has been developing the Burnet County Transportation Plan alongside the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Capital Area Planning and Council of Governments, and the Texas Department of Transportation for months, collecting data on population, road use, vehicle counts, infrastructure needs, and more.
The court will likely discuss and decide on the plan during its scheduled 9 a.m. meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Burnet County Courthouse.
“Burnet County must actively engage in transportation planning, capital project improvement and project management to successfully manage the future and well-being of our community,” wrote Burnet County Judge Bryan Wilson in an open letter to the community.
According to Wilson, the new transportation plan identifies specific needs and wants for the region, which will help Burnet County acquire state and federal funding to achieve its goals.
“As a rural county, (the transportation plan) has not been updated as often as many larger counties,” he said. “We learned this year when Burnet County only received about $2 million in new regional state transportation funds out of about $350 million why planning is important.”
The last time Burnet County developed and approved an update to its transportation plan was in 2021.
According to new data within the proposed Burnet County Transportation Plan, the area’s population has grown since the last plan was implemented.
Burnet County’s population rose by 7,535 from an estimated 49,480 in 2020 to 57,015 in 2025, representing a 15.22 percent increase.
For perspective, the increase in the county’s population between 2020 and 2025 was greater than the increase between 2010 and 2020. In those 10 years, the population only rose by 6,726, from 42,754 to 49,480, a 15.73 percent increase in the same timeframe as the 2020-2025 population spike.
The plan includes dozens of projects, from small scale improvements like road widening on RM 1174 in northeast Burnet County, to major undertakings like the construction of the Wirtz Dam Road bridge between Cottonwood Shores and Granite Shoals.
See the full transportation plan here: Burnet County Transportation Plan October 2026