TxDOT to Hold Public Hearing on I-35 Capital Express Central Project

The Texas Department of Transportation will hold a virtual public hearing with an in-person option to receive public input on the preferred alternative for the I-35 Capital Express Central project.

I-35 through downtown Austin is the 3rd most congested highway segment in Texas. With the regional population expected to double by 2045, improvements to the aging infrastructure are needed to mitigate congestion and enhance mobility.

The preferred alternative, Modified Build Alternative 3, proposes to add two non-tolled high-occupancy-vehicle managed lanes in each direction along I-35 from US 290 East to State Highway 71/Ben White Boulevard. The project would also lower the I-35 mainlanes between Airport Boulevard and Lady Bird Lake, and Riverside Drive and Oltorf Street, remove the upper decks, widen east-west cross-street bridges, add boulevard-style segments through downtown and enhance pedestrian and bicycle paths.

This design will improve mobility along the corridor for bicyclists and pedestrians by adding more than 16 miles of new shared-use paths, constructing 13 widened east-west crossings with 30 feet on each side for bicycle and pedestrian paths and safety buffers, reconstructing 17 bridges or cross-streets and constructing bicycle and pedestrian-only bridges throughout the corridor.

The project team engaged with more than 18,000 community members through public, neighborhood and agency meetings to gather input on proposed improvements.

A virtual public hearing will be available on My35CapEx.com beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9 until Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

Comments may be submitted using any of the following methods:

• Online: My35CapEx.com
• Email: CapExCentral@txdot.gov
• Verbal comment by voicemail: (512) 651-2948
• Mail: I-35 Capital Express Central Project Team, 1608 W. 6th Street, Austin, TX 78703

TxDOT will also host an in-person public hearing on the DEIS and preferred alternative on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, 1156 Hargrave Street, Austin, TX 78702.

Comments must be received on or before March 7, 2023, to be included in the official hearing record.

For inquiries, contact Bradley.Wheelis@txdot.gov or (512) 832-7060.