I-35 expansion: TxDOT breaks ground on $4.5 billion project
AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Department of Transportation broke ground on the I-35 Capital Express Central project.
The $4.5 billion Texas Clear Lanes project will construct two non-tolled high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) managed lanes in each direction along I-35 from US 290 East to SH 71/Ben White Boulevard.
The project will also improve safety, mobility and enhance bicycle and walking paths.
"I have learned that this project has been in the works for many decades, even going back to the 1980s, looking at more ways to make travel more efficient through downtown Austin," says TxDOT Austin District Engineer Tucker Ferguson.
The project will also lower the main lanes from Airport Boulevard to Lady Bird Lake, remove the upper decks, improve transit connections, add boulevard-style segments through downtown and enhance pedestrian and bicycle paths along the corridor.
"Not only are we taking down the upper decks, but we are also lowering the main through the downtown area, we are adding HOV and transit lanes so CapMetro can have more reliable transit times," says Ferguson.
TxDOT is also working with the city of Austin and UT Austin to add deck caps on nearly 40 acres of space to help connect East and West Austin.
"We are going to improve transportation once and for all for the people of the city of Austin," says Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Bruce Bugg.
Protesters voiced their opposition to stop the project from moving forward.
"The project that is being celebrated today is a harmful project, it is a waste of our money, and it will do damage to our community. It will not deliver the benefits that TxDOT has promised," says Rethink35 board member, Miriam Schoenfield.
"Paving all over our cities to build more space for cars just doesn't work. That is an outdated way of thinking about transportation," says Schoenfield.
The years-long construction will impact drivers through much of north, downtown and south Austin until around 2028.
Rethink35 is leading the protests. Schoenfield said in a news release the "proposed I-35 expansion will waste billions of dollars to commit grievous harm to our city and region."
"Despite overwhelming opposition from residents, elected leaders, and candidates for local office (81% of which oppose the expansion), TxDOT intends to steamroll over our community for a project that will destroy homes, businesses, and parks and worsen congestion, pollution, safety, and quality of life for generations to come," Schoenfield added.
The construction for the project started earlier this month. The first plan of action is to demolish the MLK bridge, according to the timeline provided by TxDOT.
Rethink35 has taken two different legal actions against the Texas Department of Transportation for the I-35 Capital Express Central Project.
"One is we have filed a civil rights complaint with the US Department of Transportation and that is being reviewed right now. We have also filed a lawsuit based on NEPA, which is the federal law that requires rigorous environmental studies to be done for any project of this size," says Schoenfield.
The I-35 Capitol Express Central Project has a timeline of being completed by 2032.