Tags
Capital of Texas Highway, City of Austin, Construction, flyover bridges, interchange, Interstate 35, Landowners, lanes, Loop 360, MoPac Boulevard, project, Ranch-to-Market Road 620, Texas Infrastructure, Texas Transportation Commission, U.S. 183, Westlake Drive North
$620 million of a $9 billion spending plan passed by the Texas Transportation Commission will fund four Austin city congestion relief projects. The plan is the latest development in Texas’ unified transportation plan, which, updated yearly, instructs the state’s highway, maritime, and aviation spending.
Loop 360, referred to as Capital of Texas Highway, will receive $204 million in State funding. This project will construct overpasses along the Loop beginning at Westlake Drive North. The overpasses will allow drivers to circumvent traffic lights.
Interstate 35 will receive $162 million and $133 million for two separate projects. The $162 million project will improve overpasses, ramps, and pavement conditions between Holly Street and Oltorf Street. The $133 million project will add flyover bridges near the I-35 and U.S. 183 interchange.
U.S. Highway 183 will receive $120 million. This project will add additional lanes to sections of the highway between MoPac Boulevard and Ranch-to-Market-Road (RM) 620. The funds will be combined with $46 million raised by the City of Austin.
Taken together, the investments will produce a noticeable increase of infrastructure-related construction activity. Landowners in affected areas should be mindful that such projects may require the use of eminent domain to obtain the land necessary to satisfy project needs.