Austin might add buildings on top of I-35. How tall could they be?

As the City of Austin pursues its Our Future 35 program to add highway coverings on top of Interstate 35, transportation officials confirmed Thursday a new cap on how tall of buildings those coverings can support.

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AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As the City of Austin pursues its Our Future 35 program to add highway coverings on top of Interstate 35, transportation officials confirmed Thursday a new cap on how tall of buildings those coverings can support.

Those highway coverings, or deck plazas, are being designed in tandem with the Texas Department of Transportation's I-35 Capital Express Central Project. That state-led expansion is a $4.5 billion, eight-mile investment that will widen and revamp the interstate corridor, including lowering the highway and removing the upper decks.

The city's Our Future 35 program could include amenities like greenspace and parkland, art installations and small buildings. However, any housing or buildings on top of the deck plazas will be limited to two stories, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department.

The spokesperson attributed the reasoning behind that height limit to both "engineering and cost limitations."

On Saturday, the City of Austin's Our Future 35 team will host the first public open house to solicit feedback on the program and the kinds of amenities residents want to see on top of the highway. Transportation department heads have anticipated the highway coverings investment will range anywhere from $600 million to $800 million.

That open house will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Austin Community College’s Highland campus, located at 6108 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, Bldg. 2000. More details on the event are available online.