AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[The ATX]

I would suggest contacting your City Council member. But we can do a thread instead.

[gillynova]

^ Thanks! I didn't think about doing that but just did right now.

I just feel like there are a lot of potential roundabout locations in the city that we SHOULD implement. This will ease congestion and make neighborhoods a lot safer

If I have to make a drone video and my social media presence just to get one then maybe I will haha

[WestAustinite]

Originally Posted by gillynova

^ Thanks! I didn't think about doing that but just did right now.

I just feel like there are a lot of potential roundabout locations in the city that we SHOULD implement. This will ease congestion and make neighborhoods a lot safer

If I have to make a drone video and my social media presence just to get one then maybe I will haha

Might be some useful info/contacts here: https://www.austintexas.gov/departme...ic-works/media

[freerover]

Originally Posted by gillynova

^ Thanks! I didn't think about doing that but just did right now.

I just feel like there are a lot of potential roundabout locations in the city that we SHOULD implement. This will ease congestion and make neighborhoods a lot safer

If I have to make a drone video and my social media presence just to get one then maybe I will haha

Roundabouts are tricky due to the fire truck needs. Since all our homes are made out of match sticks, we need giant firetrucks and they can have trouble with residential roundabouts. You end up with tiny traffic circles that cars mostly veer to the side to avoid. Like all concrete work, it's also really expensive.

[gillynova]

Originally Posted by freerover

Roundabouts are tricky due to the fire truck needs. Since all our homes are made out of match sticks, we need giant firetrucks and they can have trouble with residential roundabouts. You end up with tiny traffic circles that cars mostly veer to the side to avoid. Like all concrete work, it's also really expensive.

Hmmmmm true... didn't think about it like that for fire trucks.

I've been watching a lot of roundabout videos on YouTube and there's this spot near me that is HORRENDOUS and DANGEROUS to drive on.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsSp8gxzfjo

• Video Link

[freerover]

Originally Posted by gillynova

Hmmmmm true... didn't think about it like that for fire trucks.

I've been watching a lot of roundabout videos on YouTube and there's this spot near me that is HORRENDOUS and DANGEROUS to drive on.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsSp8gxzfjo

• Video Link

What are the cross streets?

[ATX2030]

Austin reveals most detailed plans yet for parks over I-35

KUT 90.5 | By Nathan Bernier
Published October 1, 2024 at 4:11 PM CDT

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2...detailed-plans

The City of Austin has unveiled its final vision of what Interstate 35 could look like after parks are installed on top of the highway — an ambitious and expensive project made possible by the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) once-in-a-generation expansion of the biggest road in Central Texas.....

[LiveattheOasis]

That all sounds great, and I'm glad they're doing away with the stitches, since they're not really placemaking.

If they're asking for funding in 2025, they need to find a way to get these built soon after 35 is done, not 20 years later.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by LiveattheOasis

That all sounds great, and I'm glad they're doing away with the stitches, since they're not really placemaking.

If they're asking for funding in 2025, they need to find a way to get these built soon after 35 is done, not 20 years later.

Dallas has looked at Corporate Sponsors to help fund, or mostly fund, their deck parks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klyde_...20a%205.2-acre
Construction of the park was funded through a public, private partnership including $20 million in bond funds from the city of Dallas, $20 million in highway funds from the state and federal government through TxDOT, and nearly $50 million from private donations. The biggest contributor was businessman Kelcy Warren who gave $10 million to the project; the gift gave him naming rights which he used to name the park after his then-nine-year-old son. In March 2009, the park was selected to receive $16.7 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that were specifically for transportation enhancement construction.
Total cost $106.7 million. Public funding $56 million, Private funding $50 million.
Southern Gateway Park over I-35
Of the $172 million for the overall project to be built in two parts, first part is expected to cost around $82 million. Funding sources so far include Dallas contributing $7 million through 2017 bond money; $40 million expected to come from the North Central Texas Council of Governments; and at least $35 million in private money raised by the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation as of April 2022. Since then, another $24 million in private funding has been secured.
To date, Total funding $106 million, Public funding $47 million, Private funding $59 million.

p.s. I'm proud to congratulate my ex-empolyer donating $1 million for the Southern Gateway Park.

If you want something nice, dig deep into your own pockets and donate. It also helps to have friendly relationships with your business community.
For those who think Dallas isn't contributing much, well they are spending much on the Dallas Zoo that will be right next door to this new park.

[LiveattheOasis]

Originally Posted by electricron

Dallas has looked at Corporate Sponsors to help fund, or mostly fund, their deck parks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klyde_...20a%205.2-acre
Construction of the park was funded through a public, private partnership including $20 million in bond funds from the city of Dallas, $20 million in highway funds from the state and federal government through TxDOT, and nearly $50 million from private donations. The biggest contributor was businessman Kelcy Warren who gave $10 million to the project; the gift gave him naming rights which he used to name the park after his then-nine-year-old son. In March 2009, the park was selected to receive $16.7 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that were specifically for transportation enhancement construction.
Total cost $106.7 million. Public funding $56 million, Private funding $50 million.
Southern Gateway Park over I-35
Of the $172 million for the overall project to be built in two parts, first part is expected to cost around $82 million. Funding sources so far include Dallas contributing $7 million through 2017 bond money; $40 million expected to come from the North Central Texas Council of Governments; and at least $35 million in private money raised by the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation as of April 2022. Since then, another $24 million in private funding has been secured.
To date, Total funding $106 million, Public funding $47 million, Private funding $59 million.

p.s. I'm proud to congratulate my ex-empolyer donating $1 million for the Southern Gateway Park.

If you want something nice, dig deep into your own pockets and donate. It also helps to have friendly relationships with your business community.
For those who think Dallas isn't contributing much, well they are spending much on the Dallas Zoo that will be right next door to this new park.

Great context. Definitely think the corporate community will respond, just needs to be positioned as something that can be completed within a few years of 35's completion.

I love Klyde Warren Park, and am hopeful Austin can take things to even another level given this project and UT's involvement.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by LiveattheOasis

Great context. Definitely think the corporate community will respond, just needs to be positioned as something that can be completed within a few years of 35's completion.

I love Klyde Warren Park, and am hopeful Austin can take things to even another level given this project and UT's involvement.

The time for a funding campaign is now while the iron is hot. Dallas started funding campaigns at the highway expansion planning stage. Funding campaigns require an "advocate" respected throughout the community. The benefactors created a non profit organization to administer the deck park, and seek donations to build and eventually run and maintain the deck park. Something similar to what Austin is doing for rapid transit, sort of. Dallas did not rely upon the city's parks department to do so because amongst the first budget items to get cut in bad economic times is the parks department. Austin is still relying upon taxation to fund its rapid transit, that's where these ideas differ. But a deck park and public transit are two entirely different things.

[gillynova]

Originally Posted by freerover

What are the cross streets?

East Slaughter Lane and Thaxton Road. Sometimes the backup goes up to 20+ cars and takes AWHILE to go left from East Slaughter to Thaxton

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by gillynova

East Slaughter Lane and Thaxton Road. Sometimes the backup goes up to 20+ cars and takes AWHILE to go left from East Slaughter to Thaxton

Slaughter is being extended past Thaxton to US183 which means there will be a stop light at that intersection. I don't know if the extension has started yet - there are some active permits. I was last at that intersection around rush hour several months ago, and it does get backed up.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by gillynova

East Slaughter Lane and Thaxton Road. Sometimes the backup goes up to 20+ cars and takes AWHILE to go left from East Slaughter to Thaxton

That’s outside city limits. You could contact travis county.

[The ATX]

The site plan for the Slaughter extension was approved earlier this year. Not sure if having approved plans would make a change now less likely:

https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/perm...rtyrsn=6483819

[gillynova]

ATX, you're the plug oh my god. I saw on Google Maps that it's possible to extend the road but I felt like they wanted to keep it the same...

I'm not sure how to read it but will Thaxton road extend for being 2 lanes (1 each way) to more?

They poured down new pavements last month /shrug

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by gillynova

ATX, you're the plug oh my god. I saw on Google Maps that it's possible to extend the road but I felt like they wanted to keep it the same...

I'm not sure how to read it but will Thaxton road extend for being 2 lanes (1 each way) to more?

They poured down new pavements last month /shrug

There's a ton of info in that site plan that I didn't look at. But it appears that in the initial phase of the extension, only the sections near Thaxton and US183 will be a divided Blvd.