Austin News

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will be holding a second virtual scoping meeting regarding the Interstate 35 Capital Express Central Project from March 11 through April 9.

The latest “meeting” will provide information on how alternatives will be analyzed; the coordination plan and schedule for the project; the project purpose and needs; and the range of alternatives to be considered, according to TxDOT’s My35CapEx.com website. Comments and feedback on the provided materials are being welcomed by TxDOT, but must be submitted prior to the closing of the virtual meeting. 

TxDOT has already received a number of comments from the public and even from the departments within the City of Austin, according to a city press release. 

The needs for updating traffic flows on and around I-35 were identified by a 2013 report from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. The report recommended reducing local travel demand on the interstate by 40% and implementing managed capacity expansion.

But there are deeper problems represented by the situation on I-35 than just travel on the interstate. The central portion of I-35 was originally designed to reinforce a racial dividing line that had been established in a 1928 land-use plan.

“The new I-35 Capital Express has a role to play in rectifying this historical inequity for Central Texas,” the release states.

The city is advocating for cross-traffic, such as pedestrians and cyclists, to be considered in the new plan to prevent the interstate from continuing to serve as a physical barrier to racial diversity.

Additional information about the proposed changes to the interstate can be found at My35CapEx.com.