a brief overview of tx-dot's i-35 expansion plans, the effects it would cause, and what you can do to stop it
What’s happening?
- The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is redesigning I-35 from 290 E to SH 71/Ben White Blvd. This project is called "I-35 Capital Express Central", part of a bigger project "Mobility35".
- I-35 Capital Express Central proposes the addition of two HOV lanes in each direction, the removal of the upper decks, lowering some lanes downtown, and creating shared use paths for bicycles and pedestrians. This would make I-35 20 lanes wide.
- Right now TxDOT is in the "scoping phase" of the environmental process. This is an early step that involves collecting community input. This is the third of four public input sessions from Tx-DOT.
- TxDOT will then utilize the feedback they collect to refine their plans.
HOV lanes - high occupancy vehicle lanes (car/vanpools, emergency services, and public transit vehicles)
The Process
Tx-DOT has outlined three main phases to complete the I-35 expansion project in Austin.
Why This Matters
- Environmental Responsibility - Expanding a highway to 20 lanes will increase emissions, pollution, contribute to climate change, and more. The best way to combat climate change in regards to mobility is to provide increased modes of transportation, not expand ones that prioritize car mobility.
- Segregation - I-35 was built as a racial and economic segregator of East and West Austin and expanding it wider contributes to this division. We should be focused on connecting these parts of the city, not making the literal gap between them wider.
- Congestion - It is well documented that expanding highways does not decrease traffic. Allowing more lanes of traffic doesn't fix the traffic problem, it makes it bigger. We need to focus on alternative modes of transportation to have a meaningful impact on traffic in Austin.
The Plans
Despite public promises in 2020 from Texas Transportation Chair J. Bruce Bugg that the CapExCentral would go "no wider and no higher" than the current I-35 profile, Tx-DOT has narrowed their plans to two build ideas, both of which indeed go wider than the current I-35 profile, as well as one non-build alternative.
Frustratingly and unsurprisingly, the most equitable plan which did NOT expand I-35 wider or higher, was dismissed by Tx-DOT.
Both build plans will:
-remove the upper decks
-add two HOV lanes in each direction (+4 lanes)
-lower some of the main lanes of I-35 below street level
-add mixed use bicycle/pedestrian paths
-acquire 30+ acres of Austin land
-displace around 150 homes and businesses
The Main Plans
The differences between the two build plans are very minor: how much land Tx-DOT would acquire, how certain lanes are stacked, and some other smaller details.
The Major Issues
Expanding I-35 will disproportionately affect bipoc communities - Not only is I-35 a physical segregator of East and West Austin, but the environmental, cultural, and health consequences would also negatively and disproportionately affect bipoc communities.
Expanding I-35 will cause massive environmental issues - When we prioritize car transportation, we encourage the use of more cars, increasing emissions in the air that we breathe every day. Transportation is already the #1 cause of emissions in Austin.
Expanding I-35 will not decrease traffic - Tx-DOT themselves have acknowledged that expanding I-35 will not provide meaningful congestion relief. When you create more space for vehicles, more vehicles will come, creating more traffic. This is called induced demand.
Prioritizing car travel is dangerous - I-35 is already the most dangerous interstate in Austin. By expanding it, injuries and deaths on the road would increase.
What You Can Do
1.Make Your Voice Heard: Legally, Tx-DOT must publish and consider all public comment they receive throughout this process.
The deadline to submit comment is Friday, September 24th.
You can send a prewritten letter here: https://bit.ly/3CjERHB
You can write your own letter here: https://bit.ly/3EsAdZS
You can call them here: (512) 651-2948
You can email them directly here: capexcentral@txdot.gov
2. Share: Every comment matters in ensuring the I-35 Tx-DOT reconstructs through Austin serves the community. Talk to your people and make sure everyone has a plan to voice their opinions on the I-35 expansion before Friday, September 24th.
follow organizations like Reconnect Austin and ReThink35 to stay up to date about this project.
"[I-35] is the physical manifestation of a segregationist past and segregationist policies. It's the poster child of car choked mobility systems. It pumps countless tons of carbon and pollutants every single year into the air we breathe and right now, right now, TxDOT thinks the best way to build I-35 is to build more I-35....Something needs to be done about I-35, but the final plan needs to be no wider and no higher than what we have right now. It needs to reflect our community's values when it comes to mobility, safety, carbon emissions, and reconnecting our very fragile and fractured communities." - Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison