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Source:

Austin Monitor

Reporter:

NATHAN BERNIER, KUT

Published Date:

August 4, 2023 at 2:30:00 PM

Market:

Austin

Austin’s I-35 plans revised to include new cap and a $25 million boardwalk

The Interstate 35 expansion through Central Austin is undergoing significant revisions as local officials try to negotiate improvements to the $4.5 billion project, aimed at widening the highway that’s cut through downtown since it opened in 1962.

Texas Department of Transportation

The Interstate 35 expansion project in Central Austin is being revised to include several significant changes aimed at improving the $4.5 billion project, which aims to widen the highway that has been running through downtown since 1962. The new adjustments consist of potentially covering larger sections of the highway north of downtown, constructing a $25 million boardwalk on Lady Bird Lake, and implementing a stormwater runoff filtration system into the Colorado River.


The project is set to begin construction next year and take eight years to complete, with the Texas Department of Transportation planning to add managed lanes for vehicles carrying two or more passengers, rebuild bridges, and widen pedestrian spaces. The city of Austin also hopes to install "caps," essentially large decks, over the lowered portions of the highway to support buildings. However, there are still concerns about funding the caps, which could cost up to $800 million. Advocates have raised issues regarding pedestrian safety, air quality, and stormwater filtration, while some groups still aim to remove the highway altogether and replace it with an urban boulevard.

Tags:

Austin, I-35, Austin Monitor

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