AUSTIN, Texas — On Saturday, Austinites got the chance to see updated renderings of the proposed “cap-and-stitch” project on Interstate 35.
That would build decks over lanes that TxDOT plans to lower as part of its nearly $5 billion project to expand 8 miles of freeway through Central Austin.
The city unveiled the new renderings on Saturday during its Our Future 35 Open House at Canopy Austin in southeast Austin.
The updated designs factor in feedback from roughly 1,800 people surveyed over the summer.
“Positive feedback so far,” said Michelle Marx, transportation officer for the city of Austin and the Our Future 35 program manager.
The survey found the top amenities on Austinites’ wish lists were recreational lawn space, food vending, event space and public art.
“Folks in our community are really excited about the opportunity to effectively re-nature some of this I-35 corridor,” said Marx.
The project could create up to 30 acres of new public space in Central Austin between Lady Bird Lake and Airport Boulevard.
TxDOT will build the foundation of the decks as it expands I-35, while the city will build what’s on top.
So far, the section between Cesar Chavez and Fourth Street is the only cap to get funding: $105 million from the federal government that requires a $45 million match from the city.
Marx expects the first cap will be finished by 2032.
Supporters say the goal of TxDOT’s overall project is to improve traffic and connect East and West Austin. Opponents worry the expansion will displace more than 100 homes and businesses.
“I think it’s the biggest disaster Austin has ever faced,” Sinclair Black, co-founder of Reconnect Austin, at Saturday’s event.
Black believes improving I-35 starts with burying the highway through the city’s core.
“The most important thing: It needs to generate tax base and cure environmental issues, and it does neither,” said Black.
Another man from East Austin told KVUE he’s worried about heavy traffic being detoured through his neighborhood. In response, a city official told KVUE they’ll work with TxDOT to limit neighborhood disruptions.
Austin City Council could vote on a plan for cap-and-stitch proposals in November.
The public can see renderings and give feedback on the project at ourfuture35.com.
Boomtown is KVUE's series covering the explosive growth in Central Texas. For more Boomtown stories, head to KVUE.com/Boomtown.