Thus far, TxDOT has offered three designs for the 8-mile project, which runs from Hwy. 290 to Hwy. 71. Each of those designs proposes to tear down the decks that run from Airport Boulevard to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard as well as lower the lanes from Lady Bird Lake to Airport.
The project has drawn significant interest from the Austin community, with multiple groups calling for a different approach to highway design, including proposals to cap-and-stitch to create better east-to-west connectivity.
In a letter addressed to TxDOT in April, Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca stated the city of Austin’s top mobility objectives from the project, which included “reconnect[ing] East and West Austin by lowering the highway, constructing wide bridges and lids where possible, and acknowledging the role the existing I-35 facility played in reinforcing the racist land-use policies established by the city of Austin as part of our 1920s comprehensive plan.”
The project has also drawn the interest of commuters, as TxDOT began hosting pop-up events throughout the city in late July.
Aaron McMorris uses I-35 when commuting from Manor to his advertising job in North Austin, in addition to when he drives for work throughout the Austin area. He said that he is still learning about the project, but the prospect of the interstate going underground is exciting.
“It sounds like Elon Musk, going big underground for travel,” he said.
TxDOT is hosting an open house Aug. 10 to allow residents to review and provide feedback on the three designs.
Open house details
- Aug. 10
- 4-8 p.m.
- Davage-Durden Student Union at Huston-Tillotson University, 900 Chicon St., Austin
