Austin City Council to decide whether city can fund I-35 cap and stitch project
Will city council fund I-35 cap and stitch project?
Austin City Council will decide whether to fund caps and stitches over I-35, which are essentially deck plazas, that would connect east and west Austin.
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Council will decide whether to fund caps and stitches over I-35, which are essentially deck plazas, that would connect east and west Austin.
The City Council has to commit to funding the foundational roadway elements this year if the caps will be built in the coming years.
The backstory:
"There is no future opportunity. It is, we do it, there is not private opportunity. If there is not roadway element, there's no future cap, period," Council Member Ryan Alter (District 5) said.
The city still doesn't know if they will have a $105 million grant from the federal government.
Austin City Council takes first step toward I-35 'cap and stitch' project
The Austin City Council has passed an item to hire an engineer to look at a process called capping and stitching, to possibly be done in the Downtown Austin I-35 corridor.
In a work session on Tuesday, they were briefed on scenarios with and without the grant.
There are eight potential locations running from downtown to Central Austin. The ones that run through UT will not be funded by the city.
The process is split into five phases, and without funding phase one, the other phases can't happen.
What they're saying:
In a memo, some council members say:
"These caps would not only stitch our city back together, they would create new, valuable land in central Austin for parks, civic space, and future development."
"I can't imagine what it could look like having no caps., like how does that affect the quality of life," Council Member Zo Qadri (District 9) said.
Dig deeper:
The city is also considering a 2026 bond, which could be affected if they borrow money for the caps and stitches.
"You're not just making a decision on cap and stitch, you're making a decision that has an impact on future bond programs as well," Kimberly Olivares, director of the financial services department said.
I-35 expansion project at risk
The Trump administration freeze on federal grants could jeporadize a little more than a billion dollars for the city of Austin. That includes a big chunk of money set aside for I-35 and airport expansion projects
"I'm really struggling with the price tag of some of these and trying to balance the needs that we have," Council Member Paige Ellis (District 8) said.
Council members also looked at other cities that have caps over their highways and how those were funded, like with private donors and partnerships.
Environmental impacts are also at play.
"TxDOT has put us under the gun with this deadline, but we want to get as much information as possible," Council Member Mike Siegel (District 7) said.
What's next:
City Council will vote on whether to commit funding to these caps and stitches in May.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen