“More than 350 Austinites were seriously injured or killed in the last five years on just these 13 sections,” Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar said in a press release. "By using a data-driven approach, we’ve identified locations which would greatly benefit from lower-cost solutions to quickly enhance safety for everyone who travels on our roadways, whether you drive, walk, bike or take transit.”
Initial improvements for Slaughter Lane between Menchaca Road and I-35 include traffic signal and signage upgrades, including signs that indicate drivers are entering a "high crash roadway" in both English and Spanish. Other improvements, such as low-cost street design changes, bus stop relocations, improved lighting and refreshed roadway markings could come later.
As efforts to reform the 13 high-injury roadways moves forward, the Austin Transportation Department will reach out to area residents and neighborhood groups for feedback regarding needed efforts to reduce speeding, distracted and impaired driving and failure to yield.
While Slaughter Lane is among the first high-injury roadways to receive Vision Zero improvements, other South Austin arteries will receive updates later on, including South First Street, William Cannon Drive and South Congress Avenue.
