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We call on the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to fully consider the Reconnect Austin, Rethink35, cap and stitch design, and other community alternatives, not just a highway expansion, for I-35 through Austin.

TxDOT wants to ram a huge I-35 expansion through Austin without a full public process.

Join us and tell TxDOT: "You MUST fully consider community alternatives for I-35, not just another highway expansion."

I-35 through Austin is aging and needs replacing. But despite decades of pollution, noise, and crashes - all borne disproportionately by people of color - through its I-35 Capital Express Central project, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) wants to make the situation worse by wasting over $7bn to expand I-35 to as many as 22 lanes... during a climate crisis!

Despite claiming they're considering a meaningful range of options for I-35, TxDOT is only presenting minor variations on a huge highway expansion. That's ridiculous. Widening I-35 will almost certainly just encourage more driving, doing nothing to ease congestion. It'll also worsen pollution and noise and increase fatal crashes, among many other likely impacts.

Instead, TxDOT must conduct full engineering, mobility choice and safety, economic, environmental, equity, and quality of life reviews for a wide range of design alternatives, bearing in mind compatibility with local plans and goals.

A thorough review of alternatives for I-35 should include the following community proposals:

Reconnect Austin

Bury and cover I-35 through downtown Austin with an urban boulevard (more)

Rethink35

Remove and replace I-35 through Austin with a multimodal boulevard (more)

Cap and stitch and other proposals

Sink, stitch, and cap I-35 with community spaces as proposed by the Urban Land Institute (more) and/or future designs that will be co-created through the Our Future 35 coalition

Reconnect Austin, Rethink35, and ULI's cap and stitch design are very different from TxDOT's expansion plans in that they join people and places back together and meet a broad range of community needs. These proposals should be thoroughly studied for their potential mobility, economic, safety, equity, and quality of life benefits.

Send your letter now!

Only with HUGE public support will TxDOT take community alternatives for I-35 seriously. Otherwise, TxDOT will push right ahead with their planned expansion.

Send your letter and ask at least 10 people to do the same. Please take action now!