AUSTIN, Texas — While the City of Austin and the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) prepare for the U.S. Grand Prix in October, neighbors hope they have a plan for improving cell service and traffic.
Last year, the U.S. Grand Prix brought a historic 440,000 attendees to the Austin area. Elizabeth Cunningham said it brought her an ongoing headache.
"We've all been really vocal about it," Cunningham said. "People complain about the roads constantly."
Cunningham lives on Jacobson Road, which is a back way to a COTA parking lot. It was a new route for hundreds of shuttle buses to and from the 2022 Grand Prix.
"The sides of the road are so cracked and falling down into the drainage ditches that you can't keep your vehicle in that lane," Cunningham said.
KVUE saw drivers dodging the deep cracks on the narrow two-lane road. Cunningham said those problems didn't appear until right after the 3-day event.
"It's a country road," Cunningham said. "It was never the Ritz Carlton of roads, but it wasn't dangerous."
During the Formula 1 (F1) race, Cunningham said the bus traffic blocked her driveway, leaving her stuck at home.
"It was pretty scary for me," Cunningham said. "There's no way to get around them. Even if it was an emergency, there's no turn-off lane."
With hundreds of thousands in one spot, cell service was poor for multiple communities in the area. At the time, KVUE received numerous emails from viewers about the issue. Cunningham said she had no cell service at all.
"You literally cannot contact anyone off the property," she said.
In regard to cell signal, a spokesperson for COTA told KVUE:
"Like any major event across the world, the number of individuals gathered in a certain area presents a challenge for cell service and data usage. However, we have identified a solution and are bringing in a robust system upgrade, with the expectation of better results at this year's event."
Traffic during the Grand Prix and other large COTA events is historically congested.
After the 2022 Grand Prix, Aida Ramirez, who lives just up the road in the Berdoll Farms neighborhood of Del Valle, said her 12-minute drive home was two hours in the F1 traffic.
According to a Travis County website, construction on problem areas like Ross Road and Pearce Lane won't be completed before the event in October. An expansion on Kellam Road just wrapped up. In 2022, Elroy Road, which leads to the venue, was expanded from two lanes to five.
Jacobson Road isn't on the list for improvements.
"Since they haven't repaired the roads at all, I wonder, how much worse can they get?" Cunningham asked. "Also, for them, I wouldn't feel safe riding in a bus on the roads the way they are right now."
COTA's team said shuttles will return for this year's Grand Prix weekend in October, and it's working with the City of Austin to determine the best transportation routes and improvements.
Cunningham hopes they keep neighbors in mind.