Before you drive or walk across a bridge, it’s safe to assume that the structure is in good shape and will support your weight as you cross it. Austinites have the Public Works Department and the Texas Department of Transportation to thank for that sense of security. Every two years, TxDOT inspects all major Austin […]
Roads
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Street cut follow-up audit shows progress on repairs
When a team from the Office of the City Auditor examined street cuts in 2017, they found a significant backlog in repairing the damaged areas left behind on streets when utility work is done by the city. Those damaged streets have been a concern both for city management and the general public. Last week, a new report […]
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Multiple street closures proposed to upgrade drainage infrastructure
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court presided over the public hearings about two proposed traffic restrictions – one five-day restriction on Priem Lane and monthlong restriction on Gregg Lane, both starting March 14. Both proposed closures relate to repairing road drainage infrastructure. The Priem Lane closure is necessary to finish the work of replacing […]
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Vision Zero initiative brings second rollout of speed limit reductions
City Council slipped a number of roadway changes through its brief, sentimental meeting this past Thursday, passing several ordinances that will lower the speed limit on a number of roads in Southwest, Southeast and Northeast Austin. Prioritized sections of Convict Hill Road, Salt Springs Drive, Nuckols Crossing Road, St. Elmo Road, and West Yager Lane […]
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Why doesn’t Austin pre-treat its roads for ice?
State highways are being sprayed with magnesium chloride to lower the temperature at which ice can form. The Texas Department of Transportation has finished pre-treating major roadways and is now focusing on stretches of secondary roads where ice could form, like bridges or overpasses. Meanwhile, in Austin, the city has not pre-treated any roads. The […]
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County endorses lower speed limits for two Lake Travis ISD schools
On Tuesday, Travis County hosted a public hearing on speed limit considerations for two schools in Lake Travis Independent School District. As it currently stands, neither Rough Hollow Elementary School nor Bee Cave Middle School has a “school zone,” and parents, teachers and community members have complained of dangerous conditions such as blind corners and […]
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I-35 frontage roads would be on the same side of the interstate under TxDOT’s new plans
The Texas Department of Transportation’s latest proposal to expand Interstate 35 includes a plan to run the northbound and southbound frontage roads directly next to each other on the same side of the highway between Cesar Chavez and Dean Keeton streets. The frontage roads would be at ground level with the interstate lowered and possibly covered if […]
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Internal memo reveals TxDOT’s latest changes to I-35 expansion plans
Lowering Interstate 35 under more cross streets including Holly Street and Woodland Avenue, increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and reconfiguring downtown frontage roads are among the changes to TxDOT’s I-35 widening project that are outlined in a new internal memo to the mayor and City Council. Speed limits would be reduced on the frontage […]
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Travis County commissioners tear into MoPac South toll lane project
A revived proposal to extend toll lanes on MoPac Expressway from Lady Bird Lake to Slaughter Lane is coming under fire from Travis County commissioners apprehensive about the project and how it’s being presented to the public. Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to submit their concerns in a letter ahead of a Friday night deadline for public comment. […]
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TxDOT brings contentious interstate expansion plan to county
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court heard from Texas Department of Transportation engineer Tucker Ferguson, who discussed progress on the state transportation department’s plan to add two managed HOV lanes in each direction on Interstate 35 through downtown Austin. While TxDOT generally contends the expansion is necessary to address Austin’s rising traffic levels and […]
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I-35 plans take center stage at City Council work session
With plans on the table to build a 20-lane road through the heart of the city, Austin City Council took some time during its Tuesday work session to address TxDOT’s vision for the future of Interstate 35. In his presentation to Council, TxDOT district engineer Tucker Ferguson stressed the need to increase capacity on the […]
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Renteria opposes Red River extension into Rainey Street, MACC area
Council Member Pio Renteria has come out against a proposal to create a new roadway through the Rainey Street district that would require using some of the land provided by the city for the creation of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. An extension of Red River Street south and then east has […]