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290 IN THE CORRIDOR The stretch of I-35 between Austin and San Antonio is the 10th-most congested highway in the nation and the second-most congested in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Construction projects along the interstate are underway to support the growth. Commuting
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ve to 10 years from planned projects alone. In 2016, the Lone Star Rail District, which was to be a commuter rail between Austin and San Anto- nio, died after a vote from CAMPO. Despite the end of this project, Milloy believes the idea of rail is likely to return. “I still think that a rail connection between Austin and San Antonio is necessary and inevitable,” he said. “It is unfortunate what happened with Lone Star Rail, but that is in the past, and there are some new pro- grams from the feds that I think are exploring this.” Milloy said programs from organizations such as Amtrak could be helpful in a new project or initia- tive in the future. Another organization, San Antonio-based VIA Metropolitan Transit, is working to start a pilot pro- gram that will provide public bus routes between the two cities with stops in San Marcos and New Braunfels. Other concerns for the corridor, especially within Austin and San Antonio, are water and air quality, according to Milloy. “Air quality continues to be a concern,” he said. “San Antonio, I think, is probably moving into nonattainment, and Austin is probably not far away.” Should the two cities move into nonattainment— or “smog city” classi cation due to ground-level ozone measurements—it would lead to restrictions on development and could lead to inspection fees across Bexar County, according to Milloy. To help ght pollution, the Electric Transporta- tion Compact was created in 2020. This organization is tasked with responding to the leading cause of air pollution in the South Cen- tral Texas region. Bexar and Travis counties work with this orga- nization to upgrade their eets to electric vehicles. Even while pushing for electric vehicles and a new rail system to address future growth and develop- ment needs, there is still a congestion issue, leaving I-35 to need extra capacity sooner, Milloy said. “I think we are going to have to rely on trying to beef up high-capacity transit between Austin and San Antonio,” he said. Economic growth San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the cor- ridor growing into a metroplex is an inevitability. “My hope is that in the process, the two cities become better versions of themselves and specif- ically San Antonio continues to grow into a more inclusively prosperous place that retains its unique cultural heritage,” Nirenberg said. As Austin and San Antonio continue to thrive and prosper, the cities in between must race to keep up with demand. Jonathan Packer, president and CEO of the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce, said he thinks the Austin-San Antonio region has a lot of the characteristics that make up a strong metro- plex, such as two international airports, highway connection and economic development in unique business sectors. “I think one other hallmark that’s really
AUSTIN
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Capital Express South
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Construction projects
BUDA
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130
Hwy. 123 to Hwy. 80
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SAN MARCOS
306
123
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I-35/FM 306 to Hays/Comal county line
I-35 at FM 725
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NEW BRAUNFELS
SELMA
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I-35 Northeast Expansion Central
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1604
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I 35 DAILY TRAFFIC COUNTS
SAN ANTONIO
Daily tra c counts show tra c into and out of San Antonio between Selma and Cibolo into New Braunfels are approaching those already experienced between downtown and East Austin.
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35
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Downtown Austin: 208,000 San Marcos: 125,000 Selma: 173,000
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
SOURCES: ALAMO AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION, CAPITAL METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
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Expansion, which is a three-part project that will add elevated lanes and additional lanes on the highway. The central portion of the project broke ground in May and will add 9.5 miles of elevated nontolled lanes from I-410 North to FM 3009, Lopez said. This $1.5 billion project is part of the Texas Clear Lanes initiative, which focuses on addressing con- gestion throughout the state. The project is expected to be completed in 2027. Traversing the future In 1984, the Greater Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council was created to support long-term infra- structure and economic development for the Aus- tin-San Antonio corridor. The organization is a regional nonpro t public-pri- vate partnership composed of more than 130 political jurisdictions, public authorities and businesses. Corridor Council President Ross Milloy said $10 billion will be put into I-35 growth over the next
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to increase by 74%, and Guadalupe County will increase by 47%, according to data from the TDC. Alongside population increases, tra c will increase throughout the corridor, and businesses will continue to move in, leaving organizations such as AAMPO and CAMPO to plan ahead and prioritize future road projects. Connecting the corridor Laura Lopez, the San Antonio district public information o cer for the Texas Department of Transportation, said the organization is working to address future tra c growth and congestion on I-35. Each day, 100,000-150,000 vehicles use the sec- tion of I-35 between San Antonio and Austin. Many of these vehicles are carrying people commuting between the two cities on a daily basis, Lopez said. TxDOT projects include the I-35 Northeast
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