City of Austin Council Message Board

Colleagues,

I would like to pull item 40. I want to discuss this potential investment of $15 million to expand the pedestrian/bicycle crossing at Woodland Avenue and I-35 from 75 feet to 300 feet. Given that the $15 million will come out of Mobility Bonds for bicycle and sidewalk improvements, we should carefully look at the costs/benefits of the project and understand what other planned investments could be affected. These investments will impact generations to come. We must ensure any investment has received thoughtful and intentional review.

CM José Velásquez

Thank you, CM Velasquez, for pulling this item. I have also submitted questions I hope we can cover at tomorrow's Work Session regarding cost, design, timing, and source of funds. I look forward to having this discussion on the dais.

Paige Ellis

I also want to thank CM Velasquez for pulling the item. I understand how we're going to use the downtown caps; there are multiple examples of cities successfully burying and capping highways and turning those caps into community assets. However, I want to better understand how we are planning to use the stitches and if there are examples of communities successfully using stitches, especially since a similar stitch has been proposed at 51st Street in my district. I look forward to our discussion.

Chito Vela