Austin eyes I-35 project as ‘once-in-a-generational' chance to reconnect downtown, eastside
AUSTIN (KXAN) — In about a decade's time, the sights and sounds of Interstate 35 near downtown Austin could soon be masked by parkland, art displays and community exhibits floating above the highway.
It's a vision Austin city leaders are in the thick of bringing to fruition, in tandem with a major expansion project on behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation. That $4.5 billion project — set to begin later this year — will be a near-decade-long effort to widen eight miles of the interstate from U.S. Highway 290 East in the north down south to State Highway 71 and Ben White Boulevard.