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Roads
Council members consider ways to lower neighborhood speed limits
Testimony included talk of a birthday. “Ben turned 10 on Monday at a rehabilitation facility in Dallas,” Kathy Sokolic told members of the City Council Mobility Committee on Wednesday. As we’ve chronicled before, a car hit Sokolic’s nephew, Ben, outside…
Roads • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Dec 8, 2016
Speed limits going down on parts of Lamar and Parmer
The Texas Department of Transportation is moving to reduce speed limits on sections of two busy roadways in Austin. At least one City Council member, however, is hoping the city can go further than what the state agency put forward…
Roads • By Jack Craver • Dec 1, 2016
Construction set to start on SH 45 SW
A drawn-out, polarizing political battle that has kept anxious observers on the edges of their seats could be effectively settled for good on Tuesday. The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority announced on Monday that crews could begin construction on the…
Roads • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 8, 2016
Work on MoPac to last into 2017
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is tooting its horn over the partial opening of a new toll lane on MoPac Expressway while also remaining cagey about the expected completion date of the entire project. At the agency’s monthly board…
Roads • By Caleb Pritchard • Oct 27, 2016
Proposal to kick cars off downtown street yields a surprise
A proposal to move cars off of two downtown blocks would have a surprising benefit to late-night congestion, according to the Austin Transportation Department. Transportation Department staff told the City Council Mobility Committee on Wednesday that accommodating the Capital Metropolitan…
Roads • By Caleb Pritchard • Oct 6, 2016
$720 million mobility bond could feature hidden costs
The price tag of Austin’s second-largest transportation bond proposal ever has been pegged at $720 million, but extra costs could pile as high as $20 million if voters approve the package in November. The central piece of the plan calls…
Roads • By Caleb Pritchard • Sep 6, 2016
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TxDOT can't participate in Balcones permit program
An official with the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan has informed the Texas Department of Transportation that the department is not allowed to participate in the BCCP permit in conjunction with its work on State Highway 45 Southwest. Carlos Swonke, director…
Environment • By Jo Clifton • Aug 30, 2016
CTRMA gets tough with tardy MoPac contractor
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is adding some bite to its bark over the delayed MoPac Improvement Project. On Wednesday, the CTRMA’s board of directors voted unanimously to give Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein the authority to start assessing financial…
Roads • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 28, 2016
The mayor's bond proposal is the "Smart Corridor Resolution." So, what makes a street smart?
Cars, buses and trucks idle at the four-way intersection at Guadalupe Street and West Dean Keeton Street. A horde of prospective students takes to the crosswalk, the timer counting down. Traverse this intersection long enough and you might soon understand…
Roads • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 22, 2016
Transportation Department rolls with punches at polka-dotted intersection
A small Austin Transportation Department project that attracted worldwide headlines earlier this year has had a bumpier road than originally anticipated. The polka-dotted intersection at East Sixth and Waller streets in East Austin became a minor sensation when crews first…
Roads • By Caleb Pritchard • Apr 19, 2016
East Austin superhighway breaks ground
Scores of people gathered on the northern banks of the Colorado River in East Austin on Wednesday morning to watch the ceremonial birth of a massive new roadway expansion effort. Through the distant white noise of fast-moving traffic zipping along…
Roads • By Caleb Pritchard • Apr 7, 2016
Discount program aims to detour truckers around Austin
The Texas Transportation Commission voted on Thursday to give cross-state truckers extra incentive to avoid Austin’s notoriously congested stretch of Interstate 35. With only one dissenting voice, the five-person commission – a board of gubernatorial appointees that oversees the Texas…
