Posted on 12/21/2020 3:06:38 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A Texas A&M Transportation Institute report recently ranked the segment of Interstate 35 that goes through Austin the most congested roadway in the state.
This congestion is one of the reasons behind the I-35 Capital Express Project, a multiyear, multibillion-dollar transportation initiative that will add two non-tolled managed lanes in each direction along I-35 from U.S. Highway 290 East to State Highway 71/Ben White Boulevard. The project will also add flyovers at I-35 and U.S. 290.
Discussions about the plan were central to last week’s Urban Transportation Commission meeting, which kicked off with a presentation by Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar recapping the Capital Express Project’s background, timeline and progress thus far.
At the moment, the project is in its scoping phase, with the city and state identifying problems, reviewing proposed alternatives and analyzing possible alternatives.
Referring to the opportunities for community involvement, Spillar said, “What I want to point out is that what (the Texas Department of Transportation) is scoping right now is the statement of purpose and need, and the range of alternatives that they’re looking at. This is the start of the (environmental review) process. And so there’ll be additional scoping opportunities, early next year, and more opportunities for the public to be involved throughout this process.”
(Excerpt) Read more at austinmonitor.com ...
State greenlights 183A Toll extension up to SH 29 in Williamson County (9/3/20)
PING!
Got to love those mega-projects with their mega-change orders.
As a Transportation official, I have always thought it was criminal what these major city’s do with the bulk of transportation dollars while preventing the smaller cities and towns from completing important local projects.
Here in Washington State, the state decided to replace the 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington at a total cost of 4.6 billion which included a $400 million change order within the first 90 day of the project. Each year cities, counties and small tows must complete a 6-year Transportation plan for road projects. This one project alone cost more than all of the projects identified by the 39 counites and hundreds of cities. At the time I was the County Engineer in an Eastern Washington county and our total ask was about 20 million for several projects. To date that county has only completed 1 of those projects at a cost of $4.2 million with a average daily traffic of 20,000.
To put that into perspective that is approximately 1,100 $4.2 million projects that would have impacted more traffic statewide than the total number of vehicles that the bridge experiences (120,000 trips/day).
And had my county received that $20 million it would have solved the regions transportation needs for at least 20 years before asking for more money, likewise for other cities and counties.
I worked my way through college on highway department crews surveying the route of I-35 north of Ardmore, Oklahoma.
I can’t remember a time that I’ve been to Austin when traffic wasn’t a total fustercluck-the time of the day doesn’t matter-but it is a worse nightmare during rush hour(s). I’ve seen I-35 bumper to bumper all the way from Shertz to Austin several times-liberals are apparently just as competent at managing traffic as they are at everything else..
This makes no sense at all, to me. Highway 290 East, and State Highway 71/Ben White Boulevard. Are all the same east-west road. I35 runs under them. Since Highway 290 and 71 are akready the same road, these 'managed lanes' would only be the width of the highway. A 'flyover' changing an underpass to an overpass would do nothing to change the I35 congestion, even after all the construction would end (in several years).
Traffic going north on I35 is always congested before this intersection, but the congestion usually ends about a mile BEFORE it gets there. There has been construction in this part for the last several years, but that is finally ending.
Traffic going south on I35 is always congested through Austin, but that congestion usually ends before it gets there, too.
I have no idea why adding more flyovers to to a highway and an intersection that is not congested will effect the traffic at all on the highway below it. I35 is really bad all through Austin. Why not fix that, instead?
LOL.... ain’t that the truth. It’s been that way for at least 40 years.
I think they’re talking about the northern US 290 interchange just south of US 183. There are only 4 direct connectors. All other traffic must use the frontage roads to switch highways. So the PTB will just add more direct connectors for more of the traffic at that interchange.
Aaah, that makes a lot more sense. I’m not an Austin resident, I just drive through it once and a while. Your explanation makes a lot more sense. I never even knew there was a northern 290. I stared at an Austin map for 5 minutes, but never noticed the northern 290. I’ve driven to the airport a lot, and always connected from 71 to 290 before getting on I35 south. I even opened a TX Tag account, solely to avoid Austin.
So then the question becomes “where do they put the ‘managed lanes’ in the double deck area?” I guess that’s why it will take a lot of planning.
US 290 duplexes with I-35 from the southern intersection (Ben White Boulevard) to the norther intersection just south of US 183.
I’m guessing it’s gonna be “double deck no more.”
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