BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Stay tuned
Put in perspective
MoPac South travel times in 2045 By 2045, the 2C express lanes could cut northbound travel times by 60% and southbound travel times by 64%. Northbound morning peak hours 2C general-purpose lanes 16 minutes 2C express lanes 8 minutes No-build alternative 20 minutes Southbound evening peak hours 2C general-purpose lanes 17 minutes 2C express lanes 8 minutes No-build alternative 22 minutes
The Mobility Authority’s virtual public hearing for the draft environmental assessment opened March 9 and will run through May 3. The agency also held an in-person public hearing March 24, after press time.
2C is also being evaluated against a no-build, or “do nothing” alternative. According to the Mobility Authority, by 2045 the 2C express lanes would save drivers 12 minutes during northbound morning peak hours of 7-9 a.m. and 14 minutes during southbound evening peak hours of 4-6:30 p.m., compared to the no-build alternative. The general-purpose lanes would save drivers four minutes northbound and five minutes southbound. Bobby Levinski, senior staff attorney with Save Our Springs Alliance, said construction generates a significant amount of traffic itself, and expanding road capacity only increases vehicle miles traveled. “That’s the opposite direction I think a lot of people are trying to get the city to head, which is ... trying to work towards traffic demand management solutions where we can have some alternatives to just highway expansion,” Levinski said. “I think a lot of people are asking, is it really worth it?”
Get involved Community members can provide public comment on the draft environmental assessment through May 3 via the following:
Online at ph.mopacsouth.com
By mail to Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, c/o MoPac South, 3300 N. IH-35, Suite 300, Austin, 78705 In a three-minute-maximum voicemail at 512-387-5811
NOTE: BASED ON THE CAPITAL AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION 2045 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN MODEL
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SOUTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION
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