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TxDOT modifies I-35 designs after community, city feedback
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An artist's rendering shows a Single-point Urban Interchange at the intersection of I-35 and Riverside Drive. (Courtesy TxDOT)
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The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) presented design changes to its I-35 Capital Express Central project to the community on Jan. 25 after making modifications in response to feedback from the community and the City of Austin.
The $4.9 billion project to rebuild the highway through an 8-mile stretch of Central Austin is set to begin construction around late 2024 or early 2025. Design modifications presented Jan. 25 include:
- Shifting the highway’s frontage roads to the west side of I-35 between Cesar Chavez Street and Dean Keeton Street, thus improving access to core employment destinations, reducing the potential impact on surrounding land uses and improving accessibility to future freeway lid space.
- Incorporating widened bridge crossings over a future lowered freeway design along with dedicated bicycle and pedestrian improvements, improving east-west connectivity as well as the opportunity for improved non-motorized access up and down the corridor.
- Using roadway design standards tailored to fit the environment they are built in, ensuring the future facility will be substantially safer than the current antiquated design.
More information, including updated schematics, are available at TxDOT’s project website, and a more detailed description of the modifications is also available in a Jan. 7 memo to Mayor Steve Adler and Austin City Council. The city has also built an informational resource page on its involvement as a partner in the project.
The modified design will be carried forward along with another alternative and the no-build option as TxDOT develops its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), a federally required step under the National Environmental Protection Act. Another official public comment period will be open when TxDOT presents its locally preferred alternative in the DEIS, expected in late 2022.
Meanwhile, the City is working with TxDOT and the Downtown Austin Alliance to develop plans for caps and stitches, or lids and widened bridges over I-35. Community engagement will continue through 2022 as locations and funding strategies are developed.
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Prepare ahead of time for another cold snap in the forecast
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The local weather forecast this week will include cold temperatures. The National Weather Service is predicting a strong, arctic cold front will move through Central Texas Wednesday evening. Currently, we are not expecting impacts like last February, but hard freezes, cold wind chill values, and a potential wintry mix of precipitation are all possible.
Take the time now to get prepared for the cold weather. Go to www.ReadyCentralTexas.org to get tips on how you can follow four steps to get better prepared.
- Make a Disaster Plan
- Build an Emergency Kit
- Know your neighbors
- Stay Informed
The Austin Transportation Department also advises you to avoid traveling, if possible, during inclement weather conditions, and to take steps to travel safely if you do have to be on the roads.
Steps you can take to travel safely include planning for additional travel time, driving slowly, refraining from sudden braking or accelerating, turning carefully and avoiding elevated areas such as bridges and overpasses, if possible.
Residents who need to report traffic light outages, road damage or any other weather-related concerns, may do so by contacting Austin 3-1-1 via phone (dial 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000) or the Austin 311 mobile app. Austin Transportation will be providing updates in case of an emergency on the department’s Facebook and Twitter channels.
You can help yourself, your family, and your community by doing a few key things today that will leave you better prepared.
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Safer Routes being considered for Gorzycki Middle and Mills Elementary Schools
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Streets surrounding Gorzycki Middle School and Mills Elementary School are in the process of being evaluated for new bikeway connections and improved pedestrian crossings as part of Safe Routes to School project, formed in partnership between Austin Transportation and Austin Public Works.
Proposed improvements include:
- All ages and abilities bikeways between both schools along Allerton Avenue, Barstow Avenue, Hillside Terrace Drive and Lantana Way paired with shorter, safer pedestrian crossings designed to increase yielding, slow turns and shorten the distance people have to cross the street.
- Protected bike lanes and pedestrian crossing islands on Davis Lane along with a protected intersection at Davis Lane and Escarpment Boulevard to enhance visibility and predictability for everyone.
- A two-way protected bikeway along a short segment of Escarpment Boulevard from Hillside Terrace Drive to Taylorcrest Drive to better connect people on the east and west sides of Escarpment Boulevard.
- Two more crossing islands and a two-way protected bikeway along Taylorcrest Drive to Beckett Road.
Learn more about the project
The project is hosting a virtual open house and public comment period, open through February 27, 2022.
Take the survey in English | Take the survey in Spanish
This project was selected from recommendations in the District 8 Safe Routes to School Infrastructure report. Funding for this project is provided by the Safe Routes to School Program and the 2016 Mobility Bond Bikeways Program. For more information or questions about the project, email MobilityBonds@austintexas.gov or call (512) 974-2300.
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14 new dynamic speed displays installed throughout Austin
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Drivers in high-speed vehicles were involved in most of the crashes which severely injured or killed more than 620 people in Austin last year. As speeds increase, so does the likelihood for serious injury or death in a crash. Last year was a record year for traffic-related fatalities in Austin; we all need to slow down on the roadways.
A recent speed report found hundreds of drivers who egregiously exceeded speed limits by more than 15 miles per hour on Slaughter Lane, where the posted speed limit is 45 mph. To help encourage drivers to recognize how fast they are driving and make appropriate adjustments, Austin Transportation has installed 14 Dynamic Speed Display Devices (DSDDs) at seven key locations across Austin with a history of severe crashes. The displays show vehicle speeds in real-time and record the speed data, which can inform additional speed management strategies.
Effective speed management is critical for creating streets that support safe and convenient travel by everyone—whether they are in cars, on bicycles, walking, or using assisted mobility devices.
Austin Transportation’s Speed Management program reduces egregious speeding through speed limit changes and traffic calming treatments. These efforts support the City’s Vision Zero goal of reaching zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways.
People get around Austin in different ways, sometimes on the same trip. By implementing intuitive, context-sensitive speed management strategies, the Austin community can enjoy safe and convenient travel for all.
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Calendar Corner: February 1 – 7, 2022
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Pickup and MetroBike are important connectivity options in Project Connect. This meeting will discuss standards and guidelines for Pickup, the Pickup Dashboard, future zones, new MetroBike docking stations and allow for community feedback to the Pickup & MetroBike teams.
Capital Metro is moving forward with four new MetroRapid lines. Plans include an all-electric expanded bus service, newly designed stations and an improved customer experience. This meeting will discuss design options and transportation solutions, as well as allow for community feedback to the Project Connect engineering and design teams.
The Pedestrian Advisory Council advises the City of Austin and other jurisdictions on all matters relating to walking.
- Date: Monday, February 7, 2022
- Time: 6 p.m.
- View: Agenda | Watch live meeting
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