Photo by Joe Lanane
Photo by Joe Lanane
Photo by Joe Lanane
1. East Fifth Street pipe installation
The city is installing approximately 1,000 linear feet of two 30-inch chilled water supply pipelines and return piping on Fifth Street from San Jacinto Boulevard to Red River Street. Austin Energy designated this a priority project to keep up with the growing demand for chilled water services in the downtown area. This project will extend Austin Energy's existing chilled water transmission and distribution piping along this area of Fifth Street with the objective of providing increased hydraulic capacity to serve a growing number of new customers and improve overall operation, efficiency and reliability for all downtown customers.
Timeline: February 2014–April 2015
Cost: $7.3 million
Funding sources: Austin Energy
2. Bowie Street underpass
A dedicated bicycle and pedestrian path will be extended to Bowie Street from the Pfluger Bridge and the Gables apartment development to provide a safe undercrossing of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Motorists will not have access to the new underpass, which will provide access to Third Street—a corridor that is soon slated to have a protected bike lane.
Timeline: Spring 2015–spring 2016
Cost: $4.41 million
Funding sources: Seaholm Tax Increment Finance District No. 18
3. Cesar Chavez Street walkway
The walkway along Lady Bird Lake between South First Street and West Avenue will be improved to match the style and feel of the recent walkway constructed at First Street and Cesar Chavez Street. Improvements include new trees, landscaping, furnishings and other beautification efforts.
Timeline: September 2015–May 2016
Cost: $1.5 million
Funding sources: 2012 transportation and mobility bond money
4. Riverside Drive reconfiguration
Plans call for reconfiguring the intersection of Riverside Drive and South Lakeshore Boulevard to create a Complete Street—or converting roadways into public spaces designed to serve bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders as well as motorists—and ensure the entire area is designed with all users in mind. Bicycle amenities will aim to improve connectivity, and additions such as rain gardens will allow runoff from impervious surfaces to help water native plants and grasses.
Timeline: Construction begins in mid- to late 2015
Cost: $731,897
Funding sources: 2012 transportation bond money
5. FM 969/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
State crews will resurface the roadway between Airport Boulevard and JJ Seabrook Drive. Work is not likely to begin until at least a few months after the project is bid upon, according to a Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
Timeline: Goes to bid January 2018
Cost: $760,719.16
Funding sources: TxDOT
6. Pressler Street extension
Access near the MoPac corridor will be improved by extending Pressler Street south to connect with Reserve Road, creating a previously nonexistent north-south connection between West Fifth and West Cesar Chavez streets. The nearby Union Pacific railroad crossing will also be upgraded to better serve motorists and bicyclists. $3 million in bond money is expected to help cover the first phase of the project. The city is conducting a traffic study to evaluate potential project impacts and identify existing traffic issues occurring in the area. Results from the traffic study are expected to be complete by early 2015. The traffic study will include draft recommendations related to the proposed Pressler Street extension as well as modifications to improve existing mobility issues.
Timeline: Design recommendations anticipated to go before Austin City Council in 2015
Cost: $8 million
Funding sources: 2012 transportation and mobility bond money
