Austin Officials Pump the Brakes on I-35 ‘Cap & Stitch’ Project

Austin city staff are urging the city council to postpone moving forward with an ambitious plan to cap portions of Interstate 35, citing budgetary concerns.

According to reporting by Nathan Bernier for KUT News, “Council members skeptical of the plan to fund expensive public parks over the highway took the news as a vindication of their earlier concerns. Those on the council who support concealing a more-than-200-foot-wide highway canyon beneath almost 14-acres of new parks bristled at the gloomy outlook from city staff.”

The project is part of an expansion of I-35 through downtown Austin and is designed to mitigate the damage the freeway would cause. The council committed $104 million to part of the project last May. 

Facing new financial concerns, the council will decide whether to hold off on funding further work. “If City Council follows staff's recommendation and holds off, more chances to add caps could arise between 2028 and 2032. But those later additions would come with higher price tags.”