Austin, Texas

Transportation: Austin’s Drive to Keep Up with Growth

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The Austin region’s transportation challenge is stark: How to keep the region’s economy humming, and quality of life high, during an extended population boom.

The six-county Austin metro area has tripled in population since 1990 and is now more than 2.3 million. The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, forecasts the region’s population will reach 4.6 million by 2045 – that’s larger than metro Detroit and metro Seattle are today.

The region’s growth trends show the challenge ahead. Population is booming both inside and out of the city center.

Travis County, which includes the City of Austin, is expected to nearly double in population by 2045. North suburban Williamson County is forecast to triple in size over that time, with a similar growth spurt is forecast for south suburban Hays County, according to CAMPO.

The location of jobs shows a similar pattern. While downtown Austin is expected to remain the region’s largest employment hub, robust growth is also expected along the I-35 and US 183 highway corridors, CAMPO’s forecast shows.

Residents grumble about traffic congestion, and with good reason, according to several reports.

Interstate 35 has the 15th worst traffic congestion in the nation, according to the American Transportation Research Institute. In case you were wondering, metro Atlanta has two highways on this list, I-285 at I-85 (No. 3) and I-20 at I-285 (No. 4).
Another study, from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (PDF), found the region’s commuters wasted 41 hours in traffic in 2020, seventh highest in the nation.

Meanwhile, the region’s transit network is modest, with one light rail line currently in operation, though a major expansion is in the works in the City of Austin. Transit in the regions’ suburbs is limited, for now.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the Austin region’s transportation network and explore the new projects that are on the horizon.

How the City of Austin Residents Get Around

Transit: Existing Network

CapMetro

CapMetro operates four transit services the Austin area:

MetroBus – frequent-stop bus service
MetroRapid – high-frequency service with limited stops and 15-minute maximum wait times
MetroExpress – commuter bus service
MetroRail – commuter rail service

MetroRail

MetroRail operates one rail line, the 32-mile Red Line, which opened in 2010 connecting downtown to North Austin and Leander in suburban Williamson County. The light rail operates on existing freight tracks with nine stops serving about 2,200 riders a day.

CARTS

CARTS, the Capital Area Rural Transportation Systems, provides bus service nine counties in the Austin area. The curb-to-curb service is designed to connect outlying areas into local and regional activity centers for medical appointments, shopping, and access to jobs and education.

Transit Expansion: What's in the Works

Project Connect

City of Austin votes in 2020 approved Project Connect, a $7.1 billion transit plan, funded by property taxes, that over the next 13 years will build a mass transit network that includes light rail, commuter rail, and rapid bus service.

The network (PDF) will provide connections to the Austin airport, University of Texas, and the downtown business district. Project Connect is managed by CapMetro, the City of Austin, and the Austin Transit Partnership.

The expansion includes:

Orange Line: A 20-mile light rail line connecting North and South Austin, with stops at the University of Texas, the State Capitol, and the South Congress district. Includes a subway in the downtown area.
Blue Line: An 8-mile light rail line connecting downtown Austin and the region’s main airport, with stops at UT and the State Capitol. Includes a subway in the downtown area.
Red Line Improvements: The existing Red Line light rail will see new stations, additional tracks to enable more trains to run concurrently, and greater frequency of service.
Green Line: A 25-mile light rail line running on an existing freight line between downtown Austin and Colony Park on the city’s northeast side.
MetroRapid bus service: Four new routes will join the existing two routes, providing frequent service and limited stops for faster travel times.
MetroExpress: Eight new routes to connect suburban Austin and neighboring communities to major employment hubs.

Roads & Highways: Existing Network

Austin has one interstate highway, I-35, which runs north to south through the Austin city center and connects major suburban communities, from Georgetown and Round Rock to the north in Williamson County, to Kyle and San Marcos southward, eventually connecting Austin to San Antonio.

The highway, part of the original interstate system, was expanded in 1975 from four lanes to eight, but amid right-of-way considerations a decision was made to build the new lanes above the existing asphalt. Critics have called the double-decked highway an eyesore that has effectively divided East and Central Austin along racial lines.

Other major highways include:

Texas Highway Loop 1, also known as MoPac, runs north and south roughly parallel to I-35.
S. Highway 183, which runs northwest from the city to suburban Williamson County and includes an 11-mile tolled bypass that opened in 2021.
Texas Highway 130, a 41-mile toll road that cuts from north to south along the Austin region’s that serves as a bypass for Austin-San Antonio traffic and part of the planned Trans-Texas Corridor. The $1.35 billion toll road opened in 2012 and has the highest speed limits in the U.S., at 85 mph.

Roads & Highways: What's in the Works

I-35 Capital Express Central

A number of major highway projects are planned in Austin in the coming years, but none is bigger, and more contentious, than a proposal to widen eight miles of I-35 through Central Austin.

The I-35 Capital Express Central project proposes to remove the existing elevated highway portions, lowering the roadway, and adding two non-tolled HOV managed lanes in each direction.

The $4.9 billion project is currently in environmental study and design, with construction not expected to begin before late 2025.

Proponents say the project will improve mobility and safety along the corridor while providing pedestrian and bicycle paths. But critics, including some Austin elected officials, say the project will negatively impact the community, doesn’t meet the needs of city residents, and will fail to re-connect East and Central Austin.

183A Toll Road

Construction began in spring 2021 to extend the 183A Toll Road 6.6-miles northward in Williamson County, home of Dell, Apple, and Samsung semiconductor HQs, as Phase III of the 183A system to accommodate future traffic volumes and reduce anticipated traffic congestion.

The project will include two tolled lanes in each direction, located primarily in the existing median of the US 183 corridor.

Construction began in spring 2021 and is anticipated to open to traffic in 2025.

Bike-Ped: Existing Network

The City of Austin has about 50 miles of urban trails, most of them wide and paved to accommodate runners, bicyclists, and others.

Existing urban trails include the popular Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail along Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin and Walnut Creek Trail in East Austin. There are also a number of major suburban trails, like the Brushy Creek Regional Trail in Williamson County and the Hamilton Greenbelts in Travis County.

People riding bicycles on the Hamilton Greenbelt — People riding bikes on the the Hamilton Greenbelt.
Photo courtesy Lakeway, Texas website.

Bike-Ped: What's in the Works

Austin is investing heavily in building out its multi-use urban trail network, with some funding coming from the $720 million 2016 Mobility Bond. Projects include:

Austin to Manor Trail, a 5.5-mile trail connecting Austin to the Travis County city of Manor. Expected completion: Spring 2024.
Bergstrom Spur Trail, a 6.5-mile trail along an abandoned rail corridor near the airport in southeast Austin.
Walnut Creek Trail System Expansion, will build on to the existing Walnut Creek Trails to create a 19-mile network connecting the East Austin to the Balcones District Park in North Austin.
New Longhorn Dam Bridge, a wishbone-shaped pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Lady Bird Lake, near Longhorn Dam. Expected completion: Spring 2026.

Multimodal: Austin Strategic Mobility Plan

Adopted in 2019, the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan is the City of Austin’s first comprehensive, multimodal transportation plan. The ASMP (PDF) plans for all the ways residents get around Austin, including driving, walking, bicycling, and public transportation.

The plan presents the policies needed to guide the city in creating a transportation network in the city that is safe, accessible, provides options, and inclusive for all community members.

The plan’s mobility goals include:

Reduce dependence on driving alone
Reducing commuting time
Incorporate placemaking into the transportation network to encourage social interaction through quality urban design
Providing affordable travel options
Promoting a balanced transportation network that meet personal needs and preferences

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