How will Austin's major transportation projects advance in 2024?
From the roads to the skies, major project developments are underway this year in some of Austin's biggest transportation overhauls.
Editor’s note: The above video shows KXAN’s morning headlines for Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Along the roads and to the skies, major project developments are underway this year in some of Austin's biggest transportation overhauls. From advancements in Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's extensive overhaul to Project Connect light rail development and the planned start of the Interstate 35 expansion project near downtown, here's what you need to know on project advancements in 2024.
I-35 Capital Express Central project
Construction on the I-35 Capital Express Central project is slated to begin in mid-2024, starting along the interstate between Holly Street and State Hwy. 71 and Ben White Boulevard. That first round of work is expected to include the reconstruction of the Riverside Drive intersection as well as construction along the east side pedestrian bridge running over Lady Bird Lake, a Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson told KXAN.
Come fall and winter, work will kickstart elsewhere along the eight-mile project corridor. Some construction locations poised to begin later this year include drainage tunnel work between Airport Boulevard and downtown, as well as reconstruction of a bridge at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Journey With AUS airport expansion, improvements
AUS is poised to finish Phase 1 of its revamped outbound baggage handling system, with bag screenings set to begin in 2024. The full system is expected to be completed in 2026, AUS officials told KXAN Tuesday.
Other developments as part of the airport's "Journey With AUS" expansion program center around design and construction procurements. Many projects within the program will secure procurements in 2024, including:
- The midfield concourse and tunnel
- Red Garage removal
- New Arrivals and Departures hall
- New terminal curbside roadway
Journey With AUS is a years-long program with components such as a West Gate terminal expansion, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint expansion, parking upgrades and the construction of Concourse B. More program details are available online.
Project Connect light rail program
At the Austin Transit Partnership's Dec. 13 board meeting, leaders outlined the next year's worth of work to help advance Phase 1 of light rail in Austin. A substantial portion of efforts underway this year center around work on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, which acts as a comprehensive review of the planned work and is required for all projects that incorporate federal funding.
Early this year, ATP will launch a series of public meetings and community engagement events to help keep the public notified on the light rail program's current status and what factors are being evaluated in the NEPA process.
In January and February, Project Connect officials will outline items set to undergo an environmental review while also gathering feedback, input and questions from the public. From April through June, ATP will host educational and informational outreach events diving even further into the environmental analysis and project development process.
All the feedback gathered will be incorporated into a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), set to be released to the public in fall 2024. Once it's made public, ATP will collect community responses, questions and critiques about the DEIS to help shape the final EIS and record of decision, which is expected to wrap in fall 2025.