There is an urgent need to move forward with repairs and expansion of the Barton Springs Road bridge leading into Zilker Park, Eric Bailey, acting deputy director of Capital Delivery Services for the city, told City Council’s Mobility Committee last week. The bridge was built in 1926 and expanded to four lanes in 1946. Bailey […]
Roads
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Council pushes for pause on I-35 expansion, citing air quality concerns
Citing concerns over possible environmental and air quality impacts, City Council wants to delay the start of the reconstruction of Interstate 35. By a 7-3 vote, Council approved a resolution Thursday that asked the Texas Department of Transportation and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to hold off on any funding for the $4.5 billion project […]
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Whip In won’t be torn down for I-35 expansion, reversing earlier plans
The expansion of Interstate 35 will push out more than 100 homes and businesses in Central Austin. But some places previously slated for demolition will get to stay. Among them: the South Austin bar and convenience store Whip In. Early plans called for demolishing Whip In and Travis Heights Wine and Spirits, a business next door in […]
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With I-35 expansion, Austin gem Nature’s Treasures is being forced to move
Located on the Interstate 35 frontage road just south of Airport Boulevard, Nature’s Treasures has become an iconic destination for fans of minerals and the metaphysical. The crystal store is among more than 100 homes and businesses about to be forced out by the expansion of I-35. The 14,000-square-foot Nature’s Treasures property includes a retail showroom, […]
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Austin Chronicle’s historic headquarters to be paved over for I-35
After years of skewering the state’s political elite, The Austin Chronicle is slated to be swallowed whole by the jaws of a state-sponsored highway project. Wheels are in motion to expand Interstate 35 from Ben White Boulevard to U.S. Highway 290 East. Work is scheduled to start next summer to add four lanes, rebuild bridges, lower the main […]
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I-35 expansion will force out Spanish-immersion day care, scrambling plans for 200 kids
Child care in Austin is expensive and hard to find. Parents sign up on day care waiting lists long before their kids are even born. And the shortage is getting worse. Escuelita del Alma offers something even harder to find: a chance for children to learn a second language. “We’re like any other child care center, except […]
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Austinites in the path of wider I-35 prepare to be pushed out
Along Interstate 35, the notices have arrived. The highway expansion has been off and on for years. But now it’s actually happening. People who received letters or phone calls will have to leave. They have a few months, maybe more. “It’s hard,” said Dina Flores, the owner of Spanish-immersion day care Escuelita del Alma. She […]
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Rethink35 plans what it hopes will be largest anti-highway protest in Texas history
Rethink35, the organization fighting the Interstate 35 Capital Express Project slated to begin next year, is organizing what it hopes to be the largest anti-highway protest in Texas history. The rally is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Nov. 5 at the Sanchez Elementary, which is located at 73 San Marcos Street. According to a Wednesday […]
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TxDOT ignored I-35 expansion health concerns, county says
The Travis County Commissioners Court says the Texas Department of Transportation has ignored their concerns about the impact of Interstate 35 expansion on the health of Austin residents. “We specifically asked TxDOT to do a number of important studies – environmental and air-quality studies – affecting public health. And they didn’t. They ignored them, basically,” […]
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Barton Springs bridge gets new rules
As of this week, heavy vehicles traveling eastbound across the Barton Springs Road Bridge will be required to stay in the far right lane in an effort to extend the life of the bridge. The decision to limit options for heavier traffic, including buses, was made after the most recent inspection of the bridge, which […]
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Noise concerns amplify as I-35 expansion in Central Austin nears
Now that the expansion of Interstate 35 through Central Austin has cleared a final bureaucratic hurdle, the city can expect the project to resonate in more ways than one. Noise from heavy machinery will rumble day and night after construction starts next year. Once completed, the enlarged highway will hold more vehicles, turning up the volume […]
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I-35 expansion through downtown Austin gets final green light
The state’s contentious plan to make the biggest road in Central Texas even bigger has cleared a major bureaucratic hurdle, paving the way for the historic expansion of Interstate 35 from Ben White Boulevard to U.S. Highway 290 East. The Texas Department of Transportation issued a final environmental impact statement and record of decision on […]