Austin Mobility News - August 9, 2021

Press release from the City of Austin:

In this week's edition:

• Open house provides opportunity to engage on I-35 Central Project
• How to get to Waterloo CommUNITY Day and the Austin Pride Parade
• Safety improvements coming to Manor Road and Cherrywood Road
• Rush hour traffic anticipated as students return to classroom
• Calendar Corner: August 9 – 15, 2021

Para obtener más información en español, vea este correo electrónico en su navegador y haga clic en la esquina superior derecha para la traducción al español.

Open house provides opportunity to engage on I-35 Central Project

This week, TxDOT is hosting an opportunity for public input on the I-35 Capital Express Central Project, which will reshape the interstate from US-290 East to SH-71/Ben White Boulevard. This project is part of an important regional program led by Austin Transportation Department's partners at the Texas Department of Transportation, stretching approximately 28 miles between SH-45 North and SH-45 Southeast and divided into three projects.

The current I-35 corridor is vitally important to the Central Texas Region and to Austin as an economic lifeline to the rest of Texas and the nation, but its current layout does not meet the needs of its users. More than 40 pedestrians and bicyclists were killed trying to cross I-35 main lanes and frontage roads in Austin from June 2016 to May 2021, and more than 20 others were seriously injured. The I-35 Capital Express Central Project can improve safety throughout the corridor by increasing safe crossings on the busy highway.

Another top goal for the City of Austin is to reduce the barrier I-35 creates for local residents. Currently, East Austin is excluded from the key employment, educational and entertainment opportunities in Central and West Austin by the lack of pedestrian or bicycle options across the highway. With this project, the region has the opportunity to eliminate the barrier by capping and stitching the two sides of the highway together with sufficient pedestrian crossings. Additionally, the City aims to improve transit access into central Austin from other parts of the city and region.
"We are very supportive of the new managed lane system that will define the new design," Austin Transportation Director Rob Spillar said. "We are hopeful that TxDOT explore maximizing the efficiency of the managed lanes that can further incentivize transit access into these key employment locations like transit only ramps, park-and-rides and similar facilities.

This Tuesday, August 10, TxDOT will host an open house in the Davage-Durden Student Union at Huston-Tillotson University from 4 to 8 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend, view the plans, meet with members of the design team and provide feedback on the project. Masks are required by Huston-Tillotson. Since this is an in-person event, attendees are encouraged to follow the latest protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Austin Public Health to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. Learn more about the open house at My35CapEx.com and the City's comments on this state-led project at AustinTexas.gov/I-35Mobility.

This press release was produced by the City of Austin. The views expressed here are the author’s own.