South Central Austin Edition | September 2022

TRANSPORTATION UPDATES

BY CHRISTOPHER GREEN Texas Transportation Commission adopts $85B plan the UTP outlines investments in public transportation, maritime, aviation, rail and freight.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Capital Express Central project The Unied Transportation Program will direct $4.5 billion to the Capital Express Central project.

On Aug. 30, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the adoption of an $85 billion 10-year statewide road construction plan known as the Unied Transportation Program. The UTP is the master document for the Texas Department of Transportation. According to Abbott’s oce, the UTP funds will coincide with an additional $32 billion over 10 years for routine maintenance and project development, including more than 7,000 projects and a total invest- ment of $117 billion statewide. One of the projects outlined in the plan is $4.5 billion for the I-35 Capital Express Central project to expand the highway in Austin between Hwy. 290 East and SH 71. Locally, funding will be used to improve the Trautwein Road and Hwy. 290 intersection in Dripping Springs. In addition to highway projects,

In a press release, Abbott said the UTP will help with population and economic growth in Texas. “As more people move to Texas and businesses grow across the state, we are working together to make sure Texans’ transportation safety and mobility are secured and businesses can ourish for genera- tions to come,” Abbott said. The projects that will be part of the UTP will be funded through legislative and voter-approved ini- tiatives that allocate portions of oil and gas taxes, sales taxes, and other money to the state highway fund. The Texas Transportation Commission, the governing board for TxDOT, is required to approve a new 10-year plan each year. Texas Transportation Commis- sion Chair J. Bruce Bugg Jr. said the UTP remains one of the top priorities of TxDOT.

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ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF SEPT. 8. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT CTANEWSCOMMUNITYIMPACT.COM. and updated signals and signage. Timeline: August-December 2022 Cost: estimated $750,000 Funding source: 2016 mobility bond I-35 intersection improvements The Austin Transportation Department has broken ground on projects at the intersections of I-35 and Seventh and Eighth streets. The improvements in- clude high-visibility crosswalks along Seventh Street and a raised median on the I-35 frontage road. A new segment of bicycle lanes will be added on Sev- enth Street along with a right-turn- only lane on the eastbound side. Other work includes new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps

MOPAC

183 TOLL

71 TOLL

Project details

• removing the I-35 upper decks • lowering the main lanes

• adding two nontolled high-occupancy vehicle managed lanes in each direction

SOURCE: TXDOTCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

SOUTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022