To the roar of asphalt trucks and paving machines, Bexar County workers put finishing touches Friday on a suburban stretch of Babcock Road that has been closed for construction since late 2013.

The nearly $10 million Bexar County Public Works project improved 1.4 miles of roadway and reduced flash-flood dangers at five low water crossings between Camp Bullis Road and Kyle Seale Parkway.

The fast-growing, unincorporated area in Northwest Bexar County is now assured unflooded access on Babcock Road during major rain events, officials said.

For those who rely on Babcock, the past 2.5 years have been trying, officials acknowledged. Delayed by efforts to preserve habitat for the golden cheeked warbler, the project disrupted traffic for many suburbanites. It also impacted access to Lutheran High School, forcing some motorists to take long detours to reach campus.

“There has been some frustration, but the county did the right thing,” said LHS Head of School Patrick Maynard. “It’s going to be super-safe and that’s fantastic,” he said.

“When you look at demographic growth charts, this is going to be one of top areas in San Antonio. You’re going to see this continually change and develop, and that’s what the county is planning for,” Maynard said.

The work is an example of planners getting ahead of potential problems, said Precinct 3 Commissioner Kevin Wolff, but it’s been trying nonetheless.

“It’s been ‘Please, please finish it,’” Wolff said of community feedback.

Pointing to new housing developments on nearby, oak-studded hills, Wolff said “all of this land has been plotted for development.”

“One of the things we always lament, especially in street infrastructure, is why didn’t we build this bigger, why didn’t we plan ahead of time? That’s what this is — planning ahead of time,” Wolff said.

Completion of the Babcock Road Phase V project comes as county officials reassess long-term construction needs for flood control installations. The county is in the final year of a 10-year, $500 million initiative that made dozens of major improvements around the county. Commissioners Court has begun considering how to address several billion dollars more in unmet flood control infrastructure needs in Bexar County.

“We know that going into the next legislative session (2017), there’s a strong push to rein in tax rates and debt that local governmental entities can issue,” Wolff said.

“We’re in a wait-and-see position. We know there are still flood control projects that need to be done throughout our county,” Wolff said.