TxDOT Moving Forward With Plan to Widen I-35 in Austin

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) wants to spend $4.6 billion to expand Interstate 35 in Austin despite alternative plans proposed by local groups.

2 minute read

August 18, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Aerial Texas Hill Country at sunset, with an aerial view of a highway interchange and Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas.

Roschetzky Photography / Shutterstock

"The Texas Department of Transportation this week unveiled its latest proposals to widen the busiest stretch of highway in Central Texas to more than 20 lanes in some areas, significantly increasing Interstate 35's capacity for traffic while engulfing adjacent property," reports Nathan Bernier.

"The $4.9 billion plans — which include adding two non-tolled lanes in each direction, building direct connectors at I-35 and US 290 East, lowering the main lanes and eliminating the upper decks — have already drawn criticism from community groups that have advanced competing proposals to reduce I-35's footprint," adds Bernier.

Planetizen first picked up news about the I-35 Capital Express Central project in November 2020. Since then, a number of groups—including Rethink35, Reconnect Austin, and a partnership between the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Urban Land Institute—have proposed alternatives for the project that would limit some of the impacts of the potential roadway.

According to Bernier, TxDOT enlisted researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) to rebuff the proposals generated by those groups. TTI is the same organization that produces the "Urban Mobility Report" cited as authoritative congestion science by local media every year to justify more spending on highway and road expansions.

Experts like Joe Cortright and Todd Litman have repeatedly criticized the research and data practices of TTI—Litman in a blog for Planetizen and Cortright for City Observatory. TxDOT calling on TTI as academic authorities to justify the highway expansion is a political move worth noting.

Thursday, August 12, 2021 in KUT

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Millbrae BART station.

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City

The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

April 24 - San Diego Post

Spiral ramp on exterior of parking garage in downtown Spokane, Washington.

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill

A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

April 24 - OPB

Missouri state capitol dome in Jefferson City, MO.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users

A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.

April 24 - Missouri Independent