Construction begins on new fire and EMS station in Southwest Austin

Construction will begin on a new fire and EMS station in Southwest Austin this week.

The new station will serve as a joint location of the Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County Emergency Services, one of five new "high priority stations" situated to emergency response times in key areas of Austin and Travis County following a May 2018 Austin City Council resolution.

“The City is delivering on its promise of five stations in five years by starting on the second station right on time in June 2020," Austin City Council Member Paige Ellis said in a press release. "This station is a welcome addition to District 8, where it will not only reduce emergency response times, but also become part of the community."

The $9.6 million, 15,000-square-foot station will be located at 5410 W. Hwy. 290 Service Road, Austin. It is scheduled to be completed by mid-summer 2021, according to Austin Public Works.

Once completed, AFD Station No. 51/ATCEMS Station No. 38 will serve the city of Sunset Valley and the Travis Country neighborhood, two of many areas in the South Austin region that have historically suffered from poor response times. It is the second South Austin high priority stations to be built, following an Onion Creek station that opened in spring 2019.