The Austin Transportation Department is wrapping up two years’ worth of work on a new plan, called the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, which is scheduled to appear before council for approval in late March.


The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan takes a comprehensive look at the city’s transportation challenges and aims to arm the city with new tools to tackle those challenges and submit projects when funding opportunities arise.


The draft plan includes local highway improvements, corridor mobility improvements, substandard street projects, new roads, access-management projects, and roadways being planned for future expansion throughout the city of Austin and surrounding areas.


Some proposed Southwest Austin projects in the plan include expanding local roadways and adding center medians to increase capacity and safety.


South Austin projects highlighted in the proposed plan include:




  1. widening Escarpment Boulevard to a four-lane road from La Crosse Avenue to the Hays County line south of SH 45;

  2. widening William Cannon Drive to six lanes from Brodie Lane to Manchaca Road;

  3. widening FM 1826 to four lanes from West Hwy. 290 south into Hays County;

  4. widening Brodie to four travel lanes south of Slaughter and north of FM 1626;

  5. widening FM 1626 to four lanes from I-35 to Brodie;

  6. widening Slaughter to six lanes with a raised median from MoPac to Brodie

  7.  widening the south end of Manchaca Road to four lanes from FM 1626 to Ravenscroft Drive; and

  8.  expanding Old Bee Caves Road to four lanes from West Hwy. 290 to Travis Cook Road and adding new turn lanes from Travis Cook to West Hwy. 71.


All projects are in varying stages of development and funding.


As the plan is presented to various entities for final approval, opportunities for public feedback at committee meetings will take place.


The mobility committee will meet Feb. 28, while the environmental committee, land-use committee and urban trails committee will meet in March.