Austin elected officials, community groups coalesce in opposition to I-35 expansion

At a town hall event last week, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar became the latest community leader to speak out against the Interstate 35 Capital Express project that is due to break ground next year.

“Wider highways aren’t actually a traffic solution,” Casar said at his Aug. 31 event. “We are going to endure multiple years – endure many years – of construction, during which traffic will be way worse, as we know.”

He continued: “And then, even if we get a little bit of relief for a short period of time when the project is done, very soon we will have worse traffic than we have today. It’s a project that I can’t support. I think this is a project where overwhelmingly Austin wants it to be different.”

The community group opposing the expansion, Rethink35, thanked Casar for his “powerful words” in a post to social media. The day before Casar’s statement, the group hosted a “Widening Won’t Work” press conference at the Stars Cafe, where the coalition announced a new lawsuit challenging the $4.5 billion expansion.

Stakeholders present included AURA, the Austin Justice Coalition, and the Save Our Springs Alliance, as well as Austin City Council members Natasha Harper-Madison and Zo Qadri.

“This highway that stands right behind us was built to exclude Black and brown Austinites from opportunities, access and resources,” Harper-Madison said. “Here we are 60 years later. I want you to tell me what has changed. I hear dead silence, because nothing has changed. It is 2023, and the same people with power want to expand this highway to a staggering 22 lanes.”

At that point of her remarks, Harper-Madison paused to allow boos from the crowd. “I love a good boo. Do it again.”

Qadri echoed the sentiment. “We are standing in the literal shadow of one of the greatest mistakes in our city’s history,” he said. “I-35 replaced a tree-lined boulevard that formed the boundary between Central Austin and East Austin. The new highway reinforced the racist barrier created by our segregationist 1928 city plan. It helped drive the car dependence and sprawl that has strangled mobility and accessibility in our city, and that has contributed greatly to greenhouse gas emissions.”

He noted Austin’s limited ability to oppose the project. “That shouldn’t stop us from pushing TxDOT to do better,” he said. “We all recognize the mistake of a previous generation, and that’s why we must not sit by idly while the state makes an even bigger mistake to pass on to future generations. We can be the council that stops something from something horrific from happening, or we can be the council that continues the pain and suffering that has been going on for generations.”

In a Wednesday press release, the Save Our Springs Alliance noted its participation in the legal effort. “Since the project was originally announced several years ago, the SOS Alliance has opposed the I-35 expansion plans, along with other proposed highway projects in the region,” the release reads.

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