Transportation
BY HALEY MCLEOD
Next I-35 construction phase begins
Looking ahead
Crews have already begun work to reconstruct and widen the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bridge, with the next segment of construction to begin near Lady Bird Lake, from Holly Street to Hwy. 71, in early 2025. While construction along the entire corridor is not expected to be complete until 2033, Ferguson said TxDOT has broken the larger project down into smaller, “more manageable,” contracts. As segments get contracted out, residents should expect road closures. However, Ferguson emphasized that the transportation department remains committed to keeping three lanes open in each direction at all times. He also said local commuters might start seeing the upper decks come down as early as 2027, as the contract for that portion of work is expected to go out for bid around mid-2026.
The Texas Department of Transportation broke ground on its I-35 Capital Express Central project Oct. 30. The $4.5 billion infrastructure project will add two nontolled high-occupancy-vehicle lanes stretching roughly 8 miles from Hwy. 290 down to Hwy. 71. The project will also lower the main lanes from Airport Boulevard to Lady Bird Lake and remove the upper decks, making room for a separate city of Austin initiative to add deck plazas, also referred to as cap and stitch. The project has received criticism over the years, with concerns ranging from displacement to environmental concerns. Members from Rethink35, an advocacy group in opposition of the highway expansion, gathered to protest the project. Rethink35 filed a lawsuit earlier this year
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COLORADO RIVER
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claiming TxDOT failed to conduct a proper air quality study. TxDOT’s Austin District engineer Tucker Ferguson said TxDOT completed an environmental impact study, which is held to federal standards.
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NORTH - NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION
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