The 8-mile project would run from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane—a segment that sees up to 179,000 cars and trucks per day, according to a Mobility Authority press release.
“If we do nothing to address congestion, drivers could spend an additional 35 minutes traveling the corridor by 2035,” the press release reads.
The six recommended builds would add one or two express lanes and cost between an estimated $275 million to $350 million. The transportation agencies also still need to determine how the toll lanes would connect to downtown.
Environmental opposition
The project has been on pause since a lawsuit was filed by the Save Our Springs Alliance in 2016, which said that the environmental review of the SH 45 SW project, the MoPac intersection project and the MoPac South project should have been studied as one.
In 2018, the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a previous ruling in favor of the Mobility Authority’s ability to continue with the project.
“Currently the [Mobility Authority] is not aware of pending lawsuits regarding the MoPac South Project,” Mobility Authority spokesperson Emily Gauci said in an email.
However, Kelly Davis, a Save Our Springs Alliance staff attorney, said the organization plans to continue opposing the work on environmental grounds.
“Given that the project is currently undergoing environmental review, we do not anticipate a legal challenge for a while. But we will be opposing the project in the court of public opinion and at every level of the decision-making process,” Davis said in an email.
She added the organization's leaders are most concerned about the water quality and environmental impacts to the Edwards Aquifer, Barton Springs, Lady Bird Lake and the endangered salamanders that inhabit the aquifer.
Participating in the open house
The open house will be entirely virtual to limit face-to-face contact, according to a Mobility Authority press release.
The virtual open house will be available on Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. The Mobility Authority and TxDOT will also be receiving feedback by email at [email protected] and mail at Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, c/o MoPac South Environmental Study, 3300 N. I-35, Ste. 625, Austin, TX 78705.
The press release stated the agencies plan to hold an additional open house in 2022 and public hearing in 2024.
