Funding for a much-needed overhaul of the heavily traveled Interstate Highway 35 has been approved by the Texas Department of Transportation.
The Capital Express Program is projected to cost $7.5 billion. The proposed changes would take place from Round Rock to Buda, aiming to address the traffic congestion in Austin.
"I-35 represents Main Street Texas," Commission Chairman Bruce Bugg told KVUE. "It goes all the way from the Red River to the Rio Grande. And this is a huge choke point for the entire state of Texas. We now have a solution on the table. The time for talk is over. The time for action is now."
One proposed change would be to remove the upper levels of I-35 between Airport Boulevard and Downtown Austin and add non-tolled managed lanes. Another idea being tossed around is to lower the highway below ground level.
“With the new funding, TxDOT and its partners will be able to move forward, adding two continuous non-tolled managed lanes in each direction along I-35 from U.S. 290 East to U.S. 290 West and State Highway 71,” TxDOT said in a statement. “Additional auxiliary lanes in various places and frontage roads would also be built.”
Gov. Greg Abbott said the new project will relieve traffic congestion for those who travel through Austin and also help the city meet the needs of a growing population. Construction may not begin until 2025, and a fast-track construction timeline estimates changes would first be noticeable in 2029.
An additional 116,000 vehicles are expected to be on the roads between 2016 and 2040. Currently, more than 200,000 vehicles use I-35 every day.
"Our mobility challenges are big, and we need big investments to make progress," the Downtown Austin Alliance said in a statement. "The Downtown Austin Alliance fully supports the Texas Transportation Commission’s approval to prioritize and fund the transformation of I-35 through Central Austin via state and federal taxes... Although this plan does not call for tolled or managed lanes, which the Downtown Alliance supports to ensure reliable transit service long-term, it does not preclude the use of these scenarios in the future."
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