The Texas Department of Transportation is seeking public feedback on its latest effort to enhance the critical 45-mile stretch of I-35 that connects San Antonio to Austin, a project that could change the face of commuting in Central Texas.
Starting this week, TxDOT will be conducting a series of open houses, including an online option, to discuss the Planning and Environmental Linkage study aimed at identifying solutions to improve safety and mobility on one of the busiest highways in the Texas State, traffic on this part of I-35 can swell to upwards of 140,000 vehicles daily, according to CBS Austin.
Local leaders from San Marcos, strategically nestled between the two major cities, welcome the initiative, with the "Rethink 35" group advocating for alternatives to highway expansion which they feel exacerbates congestion rather than alleviates it. "When you expand an already-congested highway, what that does is just encourage more driving and more development that depends on driving, so it means everyone is more dependent on getting around by car," Rethink 35 board member Miriam Schoenfield said, as per CBS Austin.
Meanwhile, San Antonio residents like, Christianna Johnson, Rethink 35's San Marcos chapter lead, underscore the significance of efficient transportation between these major Texan hubs, "I don’t think we’ve had something that links Austin and San Antonio, other than we’ve spoken about like Lonestar Rail, which is basically like the only thing that I’ve heard that kind of would link it, but it never really got started, so this is kinda great, because many of us either go to San Antonio or go to Austin for work, so the link is great," she explained in an interview with News 4 San Antonio.
