Austin’s $90 million traffic solution

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Improvements on Interstate 35 in congestion-prone downtown are among the solutions that may go before Austin voters in the November 2 general election.

Austin City Council members approved a $90 million bond proposal Thursday which includes the Lady Bird Lake Boardwalk , a connection point for northbound I-35 and 51st Street, creating a two-way street for 7th Street and 8th Street downtown and trail improvements along Waller Creek downtown.

Most of the funds are allocated towards downtown improvements.

More than half will be for road improvements throughout the city of Austin. The rest will be for multi-modal forms of transportation including bike lanes and pedestrian walkways.

The proposal is part of the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan to help increase efficiency, sustainable growth, safety, relieve congestion, provide neighborhood connectivity, environmental stewardship and regional integration.

The city held four community-wide meetings and took more than 3,500 community suggestions while putting the proposal together.

According to a news release issued by the city, the array of proposed projects may include:

• Interim improvements for the “Y” at Oak Hill
• I-35 preliminary traffic engineering (with the Texas Department of Transportation)
• Guadalupe/Lavaca streets utility relocation design
• Third Street reconstruction, including the Lance Armstrong Bikeway
• Airport Boulevard Corridor arterial design
• Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor preliminary engineering
• Manor Road redesign and reconstruction
• Boardwalk at Lady Bird Lake construction
• Traffic flow improvement – U.S. 183 between U.S. 290 and Texas 71 (with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority)
• MoPac Corridor Downtown Access preliminary engineering (with CTRMA)
• Sidewalk improvements on Burnet and Manchaca roads and Brodie Lane
• Rundberg Lane roadway extension
• City/Travis County pool of funds for joint project development