AUSTIN, Texas — The nearly $5 billion project to expand eight miles of Interstate 35 through Downtown Austin to 20 lanes has been a source for controversy for quite some time, and some Austin City Council members are continuing to raise concerns about the project.
A delegation from the city of Austin plans to ask the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to do additional environmental studies before releasing funding for the project at the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) meeting on May 13.
The main goal of CAMPO's meeting is to approve the Transportation Improvement Plan, which covers transportation projects for the next several years, including the controversial I-35 expansion project.
Miriam Schoenfield, a board member with Rethink 35, a nonprofit organization that has been vocal about stopping the project, agrees with the council members, saying that even though TxDOT has done some studies, it needs to do more.
“All of the problems we see, the safety problems, the environmental problems, are just going to get worse as a result of this,” Schoefield said.
One of Rethink 35’s major concerns with the project is how it will affect air quality. Schoenfield said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already said this region is above the levels considered safe for a pollutant called PM2.5.
“This expansion doubles the size of the highway, and so it would add way more of this pollutant into our atmosphere,” Schoenfield said.
Schoenfield also said TxDOT data already shows that communities near the highway suffer from higher rates of asthma and cardiovascular and lung conditions. Her hope is that TxDOT can address highway congestion, while also keeping Austinites safe.
“Everyone agrees that something needs to be done,” Schoenfield said. “It can’t keep going forward as is, but TxDOT’s plan is about doubling that mess.”
CAMPO’s meeting will be at 2 p.m. on Monday at the Junior League of Austin Community Impact Center. After the meeting, the organization has said it will post the video and presentation to its website.
The city of Austin’s delegation is made up of Councilmembers Natasha Harper-Madison (District 1), Vanessa Fuentes (District 2), Paige Ellis (District 8) and Alison Alter (District 10).
KVUE reached out to these council members for comment, but we have yet to hear back.
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