Mobility Corridor Programs Under Way; Opportunities for Public Input

Posted on September 8, 2011

Austin Transportation Department News Release
September 8, 2011

Key travel corridors need citizen input for future development

Plans for new mobility projects underway

The City of Austin is working to improve some of the city’s most important transportation corridors. Citizens are invited to participate in a range of public events this fall to determine

future plans and investments on four major routes:

• Airport Boulevard: N. Lamar to US Hwy 183
• North Lamar Boulevard and Burnet Road: N Lamar: US 183 to I-35; Burnet: Koenig Ln to MOPAC;
• FM 969 (East MLK, Jr. Blvd.): US Hwy 183 to City of Webberville
• East Riverside Drive: I-35 to SH 71

These public open house meetings are being held to introduce each area’s Mobility Corridor Development Program and gather public input to help shape the future vision of each
transportation corridor. The Austin Transportation Department (ATD) and its consulting teams will then combine this input with technical assessments to determine short-,
medium-, and long-term improvements that will improve mobility, safety, and quality of life in each corridor.

Upcoming public open-house events/meetings for the Mobility Corridor Development Programs include:

Airport Boulevard:

• September 13, 5 pm-9 pm, Our Lady’s Maronite Catholic Church, 1320 East 51st Street.
• October 3, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm, Our Lady’s Maronite Catholic Church, 1320 East 51st Street

North Lamar/Burnet:

• North Lamar: September 20, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 601 W. Braker Lane
• Burnet Road: September 22, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm, St. John’s United Methodist Church, 2140 Allandale Drive.

East Riverside Drive

• October 27, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm, location TBD.

FM 969 (East MLK, Jr. Blvd.)

• date and location this fall TBD

“We’re going to be looking at everything from quick fixes to failing intersections to longterm reconstruction of the roadways,” said Rob Spillar, Director of the Austin
Transportation Department. “The solutions for the needs of each corridor will depend both on what’s possible technically and what the community wants and needs. But we think
each of these important routes has opportunities for improved mobility and connectivity for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users.”

The Mobility Corridor Programs are among the projects funded by the City of Austin’s 2010 Mobility Bond Program, approved by voters last November. Each project development
effort is anticipated to be completed by Spring 2012. Projects that emerge from the Corridor Programs will be reviewed for future funding opportunities.

The Airport Boulevard corridor program will be conducted in conjunction with the Upper Airport Boulevard planning initiative for the stretch between Lamar and IH-35, being led by
the City’s Planning and Development Review Department. The East Riverside Drive and North Lamar/Burnet transportation corridor programs will be building upon community
planning and visioning efforts conducted in those areas over the last few years by the Planning & Development Review Department.

In addition to the four corridor programs, ATD is also working on corridor development projects for IH-35 through Central Austin in partnership with the Texas Department of
Transportation. Project limits are from US Hwy 290 to William Cannon Dr. Public meetings will be announced soon.