AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[wwmiv]

The state was never planning on doing the cap themselves, but rather designing it in such a way as to allow a future cap to be constructed by the city. This seems to satisfy that criteria.

[freerover]

Yea, caps were always going to require city funding. Reposting since we moved to a new page:


General concepts are out for 35 reconstruction but no schematics yet. I doubt anyone knows how they are going to fund the central portion as it won't include tolls and likely cost 5-6 billion.


Capital Express North - North of 2222/290 - 400 million - Target Start Q1 2022




Capital Express Central - 71 to 2222/290 - Not Cost Yet






Capital Express South - South of 71 - 300 million - Target Start Q1 2022



The Mainlanes will lowered under east-west cross streets between MLK Blvd. and Cesar Chavez St. and construction would require a new "signature bridge" over the lake.

EDIT:

The new lake bridge is emptying the Extrados approach which should look pretty dope.

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by freerover

Reposting since we moved to a new page:

It sounds like you might want to update your paging options? Under "Quick Links", click "Edit Options". You'll see this:

Number of Posts to Show Per Page
Use this option to set the number of posts to show in a thread before splitting the display into multiple pages.

[Novacek]

So the one section that's costed out is narrower than the rest of the highway?

Just south of 183, it'll be 7 lanes (5 free and 2 "managed"). North of 183, it'll be 4 total lanes (the slide says 183, though you said 290, or does that mean we don't know what's between 290 and 183)?

So say you're going north on I35. 5 lanes of traffic. In comes all the lanes from the new 183 bergstrom expressway. All of that traffic narrows down to 4 lanes. Does this not seem like a problem?

Yes, you lose whatever exits to go further northwest on 183. But I thought one of the main benefits to the Bergstrom tollway is that it would act as a bypass of the central I35 section. I'd think you'd want _more_ lanes after that bypass rejoins, not fewer.

[Echostatic]

This is amazing. We neeeeeeeed to expand I-35, and this looks like a very efficient way to do it. Especially hope the Central/South sections get built, sooner rather than later

[freerover]

Originally Posted by Novacek

So the one section that's costed out is narrower than the rest of the highway?

Just south of 183, it'll be 7 lanes (5 free and 2 "managed"). North of 183, it'll be 4 total lanes (the slide says 183, though you said 290, or does that mean we don't know what's between 290 and 183)?

So say you're going north on I35. 5 lanes of traffic. In comes all the lanes from the new 183 bergstrom expressway. All of that traffic narrows down to 4 lanes. Does this not seem like a problem?

Yes, you lose whatever exits to go further northwest on 183. But I thought one of the main benefits to the Bergstrom tollway is that it would act as a bypass of the central I35 section. I'd think you'd want _more_ lanes after that bypass rejoins, not fewer.

North and South are costed out and partially funded in the adopted UTP. I agree it doesn't make a ton of sense but I think it's because they killed toll lanes this is what they can afford.

It seems they are missing a diagram from 183 to 2222 but it is still a part of the Capital North Project.

Originally Posted by Echostatic

This is amazing. We neeeeeeeed to expand I-35, and this looks like a very efficient way to do it. Especially hope the Central/South sections get built, sooner rather than later

North and South are going to be done years before Central. Central doesn't have a construction start date because they don't know how to pay for it yet.

[freerover]

Campo is going to vote to send 400 million to IH35 reconstruction. Currently, CAMPO and TxDOT collectively have committed $805 million dollars toward the construction costs of the program. Construction costs are currently estimated at $5.6 billion with total project costs including engineering, right-of- way acquisition and utility relocations throughout Travis County possibly reaching near $8 billion. So....Almost there!

Also going to vote to spend $75 million to construct frontage roads on 183A from RM 1431 to Avery Ranch Boulevard, and $25 million to construct a grade separation at the intersection of RM 620 and Anderson Mill Road.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by freerover

Also going to vote to spend $75 million to construct frontage roads on 183A from RM 1431 to Avery Ranch Boulevard, and $25 million to construct a grade separation at the intersection of RM 620 and Anderson Mill Road.

Having previously lived on 620 a bit west of Anderson Mill years back, I can fully support the grade separation there! However, if nothing changes between that intersection and the Lakeline Mall area, it will still continue to be a huge bottleneck. I know it's only gotten worse over the last decade and then some...

My question is on the 183A frontage roads... What purpose do these serve? Just providing a free alternative? Not much of the land between Avery Ranch Blvd and 1431 has room for significant development. However, if the goal is simply to complete the frontage roads since they do exist from 1431 and north and south of Avery Ranch, I can see the desire to do that. Just curious.

[SimplySeb]

Some expanded info on the closure of the Downtown MetroRail station, starting June 3:
https://www.capmetro.org/serviceupdate/

- Plaza Saltillo shuttle - A shuttle bus (Route 451) will bring customers between Plaza Saltillo and 4th and Trinity. Customers heading north from Plaza Saltillo will need to add in extra time for the shuttle service! MetroRail trains will leave at their scheduled times and not wait for shuttles that could be stuck in traffic.

- Added service on MetroExpress Routes 980 and 985 to accommodate new riders on weekdays and cover Saturday service.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by drummer

Having previously lived on 620 a bit west of Anderson Mill years back, I can fully support the grade separation there! However, if nothing changes between that intersection and the Lakeline Mall area, it will still continue to be a huge bottleneck. I know it's only gotten worse over the last decade and then some...

My question is on the 183A frontage roads... What purpose do these serve? Just providing a free alternative? Not much of the land between Avery Ranch Blvd and 1431 has room for significant development. However, if the goal is simply to complete the frontage roads since they do exist from 1431 and north and south of Avery Ranch, I can see the desire to do that. Just curious.

People complained a lot about no frontage road even though it was built as a new road. Also, It would become the new official US 183 and allow Cedar Park to move forward with the redevelopment of Bell Boulevard which is currently delineated as old 183. Cedar Park is currently planning to realign a portion of Bell to make space for a mixed-use center with residential, retail, restaurant and park components.

Originally Posted by SimplySeb

Some expanded info on the closure of the Downtown MetroRail station, starting June 3:
https://www.capmetro.org/serviceupdate/

- Plaza Saltillo shuttle - A shuttle bus (Route 451) will bring customers between Plaza Saltillo and 4th and Trinity. Customers heading north from Plaza Saltillo will need to add in extra time for the shuttle service! MetroRail trains will leave at their scheduled times and not wait for shuttles that could be stuck in traffic.

- Added service on MetroExpress Routes 980 and 985 to accommodate new riders on weekdays and cover Saturday service.

Yep, this is needed to build the temporary train platform and I assume also to work on reconstructing the bridge over the creek.

[freerover]

TxDOT motion rendering of proposed expansion to Interstate 35 in downtown Austin if they can ever get the money to pay for it.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=bdzTpcoR2fk

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by freerover

TxDOT motion rendering of proposed expansion to Interstate 35 in downtown Austin if they can ever get the money to pay for it.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=bdzTpcoR2fk

That is so upsetting.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

That is so upsetting.

Why? I don't know why it still wouldn't be possible for the COA to cap the same blocks as last time but I have not heard anything official.

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by freerover

Why? I don't know why it still wouldn't be possible for the COA to cap the same blocks as last time but I have not heard anything official.

I count 18 lanes if you include the frontage roads. It's outrageous. 1. We're further separating downtown from East Austin. 2. i don't see any plans to build out mass transit that could help alleviate traffic. the only plan is so continue to add lanes. 3. induced demand.

you only see highways of this size in places that have completely failed to build mass transit, like houston, atlanta and LA.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

I count 18 lanes if you include the frontage roads. It's outrageous. 1. We're further separating downtown from East Austin. 2. i don't see any plans to build out mass transit that could help alleviate traffic. the only plan is so continue to add lanes. 3. induced demand.

you only see highways of this size in places that have completely failed to build mass transit, like houston, atlanta and LA.

So it will still be possible to cap a few blocks downtown according to TxDot.

I don't understand how it further separates east and west Austin. You are GETTING RID of the current elevated lanes and adding caps if AUS pays or it. They aren't widening the ROW, just building out more efficiently.

The managed lanes are support for mass transit. Buses will have the ability to use them to get people through 35 traffic.

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by freerover

So it will still be possible to cap a few blocks downtown according to TxDot.

I don't understand how it further separates east and west Austin. You are GETTING RID of the current elevated lanes and adding caps if AUS pays or it. They aren't widening the ROW, just building out more efficiently.

The managed lanes are support for mass transit. Buses will have the ability to use them to get people through 35 traffic.

Yea, and where's the funding to cap it? In the mean time, we're stuck with this huge canyon in the middle of the city.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

Yea, and where's the funding to cap it? In the mean time, we're stuck with this huge canyon in the middle of the city.

The city has 3-4 years to find the money. It could be a November bond.

[paul78701]

I-35 changes dramatically in TxDOT’s proposed $8 billion expansion:
https://www.statesman.com/news/20190...lion-expansion

[Echostatic]

With Austin's current and projected growth, we can't keep a 6/8 lane highway through our urban core. We have to expand I-35. Downtown office growth pulls in suburban workers from Buda to Leander. You can't expect far-flung commuters to use non-existent railways to commute downtown - even the proposed Project Connect doesn't run to Round Rock, or Circle C.

We should be pushing density and clusters of office towers further out into the suburbs if we want to avoid Houston's fate, but we can't avoid the I-35 expansion. A 1950s highway built for a city of 150,000 people with marginal expansion isn't suitable for a city approaching a million. This project tears down the awful double-decked section and has potential to be capped through portions of downtown.

We need more rail and buses almost as much as this expansion. But we still need larger highways, and that's a fact in this city.

[lzppjb]

I like it. I hope they can make it happen. Caps would just be an added bonus.