Massive Plan in Works to Fix Austin Traffic Woes

In what is being dubbed the “Year of Mobility,” the Austin City Council is taking a look at 109 projects that aim to reduce traffic and increase mobility of the ever-growing Hill Country city.

“There will be no answer to affordability in this city unless and until we address mobility in this city, because the two are linked together,” said Austin Mayor Steve Adler.

According to the proposal, an “…updated Austin Strategic Mobility Plan will harness community input and guide transportation improvements moving forward.”

How much input the public will have remains to be seen.

Of the 109 projects, 44 of them will be aimed at relieving the woes of pedestrians. New technology and infrastructure will hope to ease vehicular congestion, and the mayor promises a limited number of ‘construction closures’ for the year. And, special event planning will have to take into account traffic congestion more than ever before.

In conjunction with the city’s Imagine Austin plan — which aims to take into account the environmental impact and other health concerns — the new developments promise to “…connect land use and transportation to create a more integrated and comprehensive plan for the future for our City.”

The news may not come as a surprise, but, hopefully, relief is in sight.

“We have asked our community for years to provide input and feedback on numerous transportation projects to develop plans for future deployment. Now, it is time we do something. I want to see the City implement the plans that our community has spent so much time and effort developing,” said City Council Member Ann Kitchen.