The new highway design must facilitate east-west access. The facility has separated communities of color from access to employment, educational opportunities, entertainment, and services located in Central Austin. East-West Access: I-35 has long acted as a physical barrier between East and Central/West Austin.I-35 needs to be reconstructed with modern design and safety features to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. 1 These figures do not include additional cyclists and pedestrians killed on sidewalks and cross streets along I-35 and thousands of crashes that resulted in minor injuries. In addition, more than 40 motorists have been killed and an additional 350+ have been seriously injured in vehicle crashes on I-35 facilities. Safety: More than 40 pedestrians and bicyclists were killed trying to cross I-35 main lanes and frontage roads in Austin, and an additional 20+ were seriously injured, from June 2016 to May 2021, according to the City’s Vision Zero analysis.Improved access to our primary employment destinations is needed to reduce impacts on local street traffic congestion. Mobility: The existing I-35 facility is one of the oldest freeways in Texas-it has outlived its functional lifespan and needs to be replaced to continue its essential mobility function. Existing I-35 operations also create local grid congestion.Project limits: SH 45 SE to SH 71/Ben White Blvd.Įstimated construction cost: $300 millionĮstimated construction start: 2022 Why I-35 needs to be replaced to US 290 EĮstimated construction cost: $4.9 billion Capital Express projectsĮstimated construction cost: $400 million We have consistently represented our residents in seeking an improved I-35 that prioritizes the movement of people and goods through the corridor, improves the efficiency in accessing the downtown and central Austin street grid system, improves east-west connectivity, improves safety and promotes non-motorized bicycle and pedestrian activities. The City of Austin has been a partner with TxDOT since the inception of the reconstruction program and was an early funder for design and environmental efforts. All of these new transit enhancements are dependent on the design of the future I-35. That proposed expansion includes new service opportunities to outlying Austin neighborhoods and suburban cities, new park-and-rides, new prioritization for transit on future managed/HOV lanes, and preferential transit access ramps. Capital Metro currently operates MetroExpress, MetroFlyer, and UT Shuttle bus routes along the corridor and has plans to expand transit service on I-35 as part of the Project Connect system plan. Not only is this project important for freight movement and automobile users, the I-35 corridor is also important for transit riders. Along with the major transit investment our community is making with Capital Metro, this project will have a long-term footprint on the fabric of our community. The reconstruction of I-35 is one of the most important mobility projects for the Central Texas region, and critically important for all partners to get right for the future of the area. The Austin Transportation Department seeks to address this historical barrier in our approach to partnering with TxDOT. The redesign and construction of the new I-35 Capital Express has a role to play in rectifying this historical inequity for Central Texas. Austin has long since removed the segregationist language from its legal code and land use plan, but the physical barrier has remained. The City of Austin first established a racial barrier along East Avenue by adopting its 1928 land use plan that segregated the city for years. The highway's construction and current design on top of East Avenue also had consequences, becoming a physical barrier between East and West Austin, and perpetuating racial and economic divisions for decades. The roadway has evolved since its construction in the 1950s to become a critical mobility link connecting Austin, Central Texas and beyond. I-35's Austin-area section carries nearly 200,000 vehicle trips per day, 85% of which are local to the region.
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