AUSTIN (ABJ) — The city of Austin plans to take advantage of a state effort to transform and expand an 8-mile stretch of I-35 that runs through the core of the city.

The Texas Department of Transportation has proposed adding lanes to the interstate, some with tolls, and moving the double-decker highway below ground level — drastic changes for a road that has been a major feature of downtown Austin since the early 1960s. The state agency has said the investment is needed to help with traffic on an already congested road.

The city, meanwhile, plans to “cap and stitch” the completed route with a series of bridges and platforms over I-35. “Caps” rest atop the road as plazas, creating a space for greenways, community amenities and new buildings, while “stitches” are smaller bridges that would span the interstate.

Read the full story online at the Austin Business Journal.