Austin Texas

[lebomb]

I had to drive through Austin headed north this past weekend. I have not been that way in over a year. I can comfortably say that downtown Austin appears to have the most dense skyline in Texas now. Surpassing Dallas and Houston. I was stunned at the number of skyscrapers I saw. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. :wtf

[leemajors]

I had to drive through Austin headed north this past weekend. I have not been that way in over a year. I can comfortably say that downtown Austin appears to have the most dense skyline in Texas now. Surpassing Dallas and Houston. I was stunned at the number of skyscrapers I saw. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. :wtf

It's not great, tbh. Massive influx of people for years without any planning or infrastructure to support it.

[Millennial_Messiah]

The traffic is horrible because the infrastructure and road system, particularly I-35 and the surrounding roads, were built to satisfy a capital city the size of, say, Jefferson City Missouri, and definitely not the exponential growth leading to what Austin has become especially since the tech boom started about 25-30 years ago.

There needs to be an extensive highway / interstate system running through the city and the public transit system vastly improved beyond the current system which is pretty much just buses. But the problem is building an actual cosmo city grade rail system would be prohibitively expensive and not to mention you would have to eminent domain out tons of private property. And subways in Texas will never happen due to the bad soil grade and water shelves.

The fact that Austin is by far the biggest city that only has one interstate (north/south, i-35) that runs through it, and absolutely nothing east-west to speak of, is just ridiculous

[Xevious]

Yeah every time I go through Austin it seems like there are new skyscrapers under construction. And the traffic has been horrible for the past 30 years at least. It just isn't possible for the roads/infrastructure to support that much growth.

[ChumpDumper]

It's going to take a Big Dig to come close to addressing the I-35 issue. No one is willing to comprehend the disruption that's going to cause in the meantime. The light rail plans being pushed look like half-measures. Build an El from downtown to the airport first.

[Blake]

There used to be a law that no buildings could be taller than the Capitol so that it would stand out... Lol was just a matter of time.

I love to visit family in round Rock but I can't take that crazy traffic

[lebomb]

There used to be a law that no buildings could be taller than the Capitol so that it would stand out... Lol was just a matter of time.

I love to visit family in round Rock but I can't take that crazy traffic


Funny, because I actually tried to view the Capitol from 35 and no dice.......... :cry

[GAustex]

Should have been here in the 80s.
Such fun it was.

[Spurs Homer]

The planners in this state are fucking retarded, they plan for the next 5-7 years and by the time they finish renovating or expanding any roads/freeways- the traffic has already surpassed what it was 7 years before…

case in point… i moved into a fairly newish area of new homes and there was a small country road…took em three years to build/expand a newer one even after all the new homes had been sold/occupied

suddenly we see 4 lanes (two each direction) so we think ok- that might work for a little while but entire area is booming…

couple months go by and they finish their construction and TWO of the four lanes were closed/filled in with earth/dirt/

as those lanes were closer to some homes..and im like wtf?

two fucking lanes - how long before it becomes ANOTHER gridlock?

in california they look 50 YEARS AHEAD when buildingnshit- this is why you see 8-10-12 fucking lanes EACH WAY on a lot of areas in california- they KNOW that one or two lanes are nothing when looking at 40-50 years into the future.

I-35 -

they need to start NOW and build two three LEVELS on top of the current shit artery that is there now

i mean 2-3 levels from WACO to fucking 100 miles past San Antonio - NOW!

[FuzzyLumpkins]

The planners in this state are fucking retarded, they plan for the next 5-7 years and by the time they finish renovating or expanding any roads/freeways- the traffic has already surpassed what it was 7 years before…

case in point… i moved into a fairly newish area of new homes and there was a small country road…took em three years to build/expand a newer one even after all the new homes had been sold/occupied

suddenly we see 4 lanes (two each direction) so we think ok- that might work for a little while but entire area is booming…

couple months go by and they finish their construction and TWO of the four lanes were closed/filled in with earth/dirt/

as those lanes were closer to some homes..and im like wtf?

two fucking lanes - how long before it becomes ANOTHER gridlock?

in california they look 50 YEARS AHEAD when buildingnshit- this is why you see 8-10-12 fucking lanes EACH WAY on a lot of areas in california- they KNOW that one or two lanes are nothing when looking at 40-50 years into the future.

I-35 -

they need to start NOW and build two three LEVELS on top of the current shit artery that is there now

i mean 2-3 levels from WACO to fucking 100 miles past San Antonio - NOW!

It's not retarded. It's designed so that the infrastructure is always being worked on.

Only time you see things "done" is when you have toll roads and fuck that.

[Spurs Homer]

It's not retarded. It's designed so that the infrastructure is always being worked on.

Only time you see things "done" is when you have toll roads and fuck that.

oh those toll roads that rick perry sold our land to the chinese so they could skullfuck us?

dont even get me started on that- but “dems collude with china blah blah” lololol

[pgardn]

I still love it.

My father talks about the traffic problems so this has been going on for a while.
It has definitely gotten worse since I graduated but I drive up quite a lot for work or to leave out of the Austin airport.
The food is pricey but very good if you follow the people who know whats going on. The sports are fantastic.
The rec leagues are incredible. The community who wants to exercise just beats the hell out of SA.
With the exception of our Mayor who saw the vision of the greenway trails. Thank you Howard Peak. Are you still alive?

[baseline bum]

in california they look 50 YEARS AHEAD when buildingnshit- this is why you see 8-10-12 fucking lanes EACH WAY on a lot of areas in california- they KNOW that one or two lanes are nothing when looking at 40-50 years into the future.


If California was looking 50 years ahead they would have built a good public transportation system instead of the money pit that freeways are.

[ChumpDumper]

Yeah, I can't agree with the Cali characterization. The only thing they planned into the future was a housing crisis.

It looks like Pflugerville did at least a little homework for future expansion, but that's also where all our serial killers live.:down:

[Spurs Homer]

If California was looking 50 years ahead they would have built a good public transportation system instead of the money pit that freeways are.

Ask anyone who lives in california if they dont think that the freeway system is one of the best in the USA. It is, By far.

It is amazing how much traffic it moves every day.

[ChumpDumper]

:lol Pretty sure BB and I each lived in California for a time.

[Xevious]

The planners in this state are fucking retarded, they plan for the next 5-7 years and by the time they finish renovating or expanding any roads/freeways- the traffic has already surpassed what it was 7 years before…

case in point… i moved into a fairly newish area of new homes and there was a small country road…took em three years to build/expand a newer one even after all the new homes had been sold/occupied

suddenly we see 4 lanes (two each direction) so we think ok- that might work for a little while but entire area is booming…

couple months go by and they finish their construction and TWO of the four lanes were closed/filled in with earth/dirt/

as those lanes were closer to some homes..and im like wtf?

two fucking lanes - how long before it becomes ANOTHER gridlock?

in california they look 50 YEARS AHEAD when buildingnshit- this is why you see 8-10-12 fucking lanes EACH WAY on a lot of areas in california- they KNOW that one or two lanes are nothing when looking at 40-50 years into the future.

I-35 -

they need to start NOW and build two three LEVELS on top of the current shit artery that is there now

i mean 2-3 levels from WACO to fucking 100 miles past San Antonio - NOW!
Yeah any time a road expansion project is finished around me, some other entity comes right behind, blocks lanes for months on end, and rips the brand new road up. SAWS loves to do that shit.

[baseline bum]

Ask anyone who lives in california if they dont think that the freeway system is one of the best in the USA. It is, By far.

It is amazing how much traffic it moves every day.

LA is the poster child for why American car culture is toxic as hell. You spend through the nose making these wide ass highways only to induce demand that brings them to gridlock not long after you expand them. Ugh the 405 between Sepulveda Pass and LAX was such a nightmare to drive when I lived on the west side. City should have built a real subway system like NYC has. Fucking Santa Monica NIMBYs killed even having one subway line on the westside for decades.

[GAustex]

Just asking
Subway in earthquake zone a good idea?
Or do you mean above ground transit?

[GAustex]

I was told
Years ago iH10 was planned to run through Austin but locals fought it. It would have been on US290 and run through Koenig Lane
San Antonio said we’ll take it
The rest is history

[baseline bum]

Just asking
Subway in earthquake zone a good idea?
Or do you mean above ground transit?

Major earthquakes take out bridges and shut the highways down too. LA has a subway system but it's small and if you want to use it realistically you're going to have make connections with busses which suck because they get stuck in LA's ridiculous traffic. Japan is more seismically active than California and they make world class subway systems in their cities work there.

[GAustex]

Major earthquakes take out bridges and shut the highways down too. LA has a subway system but it's small and if you want to use it realistically you're going to have make connections with busses which suck because they get stuck in LA's ridiculous traffic. Japan is more seismically active than California and they make world class subway systems in their cities work there.
Got it
Surface faculties would seem to more easily repaired
But I have never heard of earthquake damaged subway systems. It may have happened but I am not aware.

[Spurs Homer]

LA is the poster child for why American car culture is toxic as hell. You spend through the nose making these wide ass highways only to induce demand that brings them to gridlock not long after you expand them. Ugh the 405 between Sepulveda Pass and LAX was such a nightmare to drive when I lived on the west side. City should have built a real subway system like NYC has. Fucking Santa Monica NIMBYs killed even having one subway line on the westside for decades.

The freeways were awesome - if you drove them every day you should understand then - 8-10-12 lanes

now

take san antonio mentality and have these assholes build freeways in cali -

how nice would 2-4 lanes be there?

Of course there are other options and there is a metro in los angeles and of course it could be much better all around - but are you kidding me? 20 million or more people live in the south california region and that freeway system moves 24/7 - I lived there 20 years and never got caught in a gridlocked freeway where NO ONE MOVES FOR A LONG TIME -

If you have driven from san antonio to austin and happen to be unlucky and get stuck when there is an accident - you tell me that THAT happens in a california freeway?

Never

every accident i ever encountered on a L.A. freeway was like an orchestration - accident happened, cars stopped for about 5 minutes - vehicles in accident were moved to the side - or highway patrol closed the outside lanes until the cars could be moved

while at the same time - traffic went AROUND the accident and done. Zero fuss, very little delays everyone goes home.

I-35? You are fucked - sitting in your own fucking lane - trapped. Soon assholes in their pickup trucks climb off the highway , roll over the median, create a new lane over fucking grass and maybe you can get off I-35 - good fucking luck.

Vehicles in the accident REMAIN on I-35 blocking traffic for HOURS.

Man i drove that 405 sepulveda pass and it was a piece of cake it slowed down...cars slowed....it sped up...10-20 minutes - back to normal and everyone speeding back up to 95 mph and if you werent going at least 90 - people would pass you up pronto.

[baseline bum]

Man i drove that 405 sepulveda pass and it was a piece of cake it slowed down...cars slowed....it sped up...10-20 minutes - back to normal and everyone speeding back up to 95 mph and if you werent going at least 90 - people would pass you up pronto.

90 mph on 405 wtf now I know you're trolling me unless you're talking about going that speed north of the pass. I have a really hard time believing you ever lived in LA with comments like that.

[Millennial_Messiah]

For once I actually agree with our resident Berniecrat Spurs Homer on a lot of this. CA highways are a better driving experience than TX. Los Angeles metro was nowhere near as bad for me as DFW, Austin, or Atlanta. The biggest issue I had in CA were the goddamn motorcyclists going 120+ in traffic weaving in and out and there are a LOT of them in CA.

[Millennial_Messiah]

Just asking
Subway in earthquake zone a good idea?
Or do you mean above ground transit?

That, and most of California has the same problem Texas has with poor foundations and limestone. Not enough dirt to carve out until you get farther inland where it's dullsville.

[Millennial_Messiah]

If you can't build basements, you can't build subways; and California's problem is amplified because of the earthquakes/faultlines.

Japan's subway system is definitely in jeopardy. Imagine going 70MPH on a subway and all of a sudden a 9.1 magnitude strikes, that would be a horrible way to die. People died in the 2011 Honshu quake, and couldn't imagine what the catastrophe would be like if the epicenter would be anywhere near, say, Tokyo. (Or LA/SF).

[Millennial_Messiah]

Funny, because I actually tried to view the Capitol from 35 and no dice.......... :cry

You have to be on the right side of the divide going southbound and on the left side going northbound to see it. The best view is at night from the right side of the divide going southbound towards SA. The GPS will want to take you on the left side of the divide but the right side is worth it especially at night in light traffic due to the stunning view of downtown. And yes definitely you can still see the Capitol.

[Spurs Homer]

90 mph on 405 wtf now I know you're trolling me unless you're talking about going that speed north of the pass. I have a really hard time believing you ever lived in LA with comments like that.

Dude EVERYBODY drives waaaay over the speed limit in L.A. - I mean if you are the guy in the fast lane doing 60/70 - shit even 85 -

people behind you got pissed

todays cars - you kidding me - 95 all day long especially late at night and the best thing is that there are so many cars - you would have to be extremely unlucky to get pulled over -

shit - in 20 years - in cars and/or motorcycles - I cannot even remember being pulled over once!

If you have driven on the 405 you know as you head into the SF valley and go over the mountain past that famous musuem (Getty?) then as you go over the mountain - and start heading downhill?

Heck everyone hit 90-95 easy as you got down and past ventura blvd into the valley heading north - everyone was going high speeds...

[baseline bum]

Dude EVERYBODY drives waaaay over the speed limit in L.A. - I mean if you are the guy in the fast lane doing 60/70 - shit even 85 -

people behind you got pissed

todays cars - you kidding me - 95 all day long especially late at night and the best thing is that there are so many cars - you would have to be extremely unlucky to get pulled over -

shit - in 20 years - in cars and/or motorcycles - I cannot even remember being pulled over once!

If you have driven on the 405 you know as you head into the SF valley and go over the mountain past that famous musuem (Getty?) then as you go over the mountain - and start heading downhill?

Heck everyone hit 90-95 easy as you got down and past ventura blvd into the valley heading north - everyone was going high speeds...

That's just not what my experience on 405 was unless you're driving off peak times. My experience was more like my friend asks if I want to go to an Angels game so I leave at 4:30 for a 7:30 start and we don't even get into the stadium in Anaheim until the second inning thanks to the 405 moving at like 3mph from Wilshire to the 105. The 405 on good days would be like 35 mph for the most part if it wasn't too near rush hour where I lived. If it was rush hour whole different ballgame.

[Millennial_Messiah]

That's just not what my experience on 405 was unless you're driving off peak times. My experience was more like my friend asks if I want to go to an Angels game so I leave at 4:30 for a 7:30 start and we don't even get into the stadium in Anaheim until the second inning thanks to the 405 moving at like 3mph from Wilshire to the 105. The 405 on good days would be like 35 mph for the most part if it wasn't too near rush hour where I lived. If it was rush hour whole different ballgame.

Easy fix is go to Anaheim for lunch or book a hotel there the night before so you're already there.

[Spurs Homer]

That's just not what my experience on 405 was unless you're driving off peak times. My experience was more like my friend asks if I want to go to an Angels game so I leave at 4:30 for a 7:30 start and we don't even get into the stadium in Anaheim until the second inning thanks to the 405 moving at like 3mph from Wilshire to the 105. The 405 on good days would be like 35 mph for the most part if it wasn't too near rush hour where I lived. If it was rush hour whole different ballgame.

yeah the post after yours beat me to it

it was all about planning too

i wouldnt drive all the way to orange county for a game AFTER work or a couple of hours before gametime
but i get your point that was a brutal drive

i usually hung out in hollywood or go over the hill into the valley for dinner/sushi or whatever


if i had any business in orange co id go early and have lunch near huntington bch or pair my trip with something else nearby and then i had easy traffic early morning (since most traffic was heading INTO l.a.)

than after the game - easy traffic once the stadium emptied and the freeways were clear and fast

same logic near hollywood on weekend nights…sunset/hollywood blvds were gridlocked with weekend partiers, but id use fountain and other side roads to get around faster and avoid gridlock

in san francisco it was always taxicabs (years before ubers and such) as everything was within a 7 mile “island” that is san francisco but use my car for outings into marin co or napa or north of sf outings

but there again, when needed to get somewhere - as long as you planned better - you could avoid most traffic by planning drives on off peak hours

[Millennial_Messiah]

San Francisco is almost as bad as NYC for driving.

[The Gemini Method]

That's just not what my experience on 405 was unless you're driving off peak times. My experience was more like my friend asks if I want to go to an Angels game so I leave at 4:30 for a 7:30 start and we don't even get into the stadium in Anaheim until the second inning thanks to the 405 moving at like 3mph from Wilshire to the 105. The 405 on good days would be like 35 mph for the most part if it wasn't too near rush hour where I lived. If it was rush hour whole different ballgame.

Those days are brutal for sure. Seeing the 405 brisk or even open is an oddity when you're driving 6-8am and 3-6pm. I remember when the pandemic first hit and people stayed home feeling so odd when I got on the 405 and it took me 1/4 the time to go from Long Beach to Santa Monica with the majority of the time on the 405.

[Spurs Homer]

Those days are brutal for sure. Seeing the 405 brisk or even open is an oddity when you're driving 6-8am and 3-6pm. I remember when the pandemic first hit and people stayed home feeling so odd when I got on the 405 and it took me 1/4 the time to go from Long Beach to Santa Monica with the majority of the time on the 405.

everywhere in l.a.

it takes “twenty minutes”

to get there!

or so they say lol

[The Gemini Method]

everywhere in l.a.

it takes “twenty minutes”

to get there!

If you do get somewhere in 20 min, it's a miracle. It's possible, but not likely, though we tend to fabricate the amount of time it does take to at least assuage the other party that we are indeed are coming. If I'm not committed to going, I'll say "I'll be there" or hedge my arrival time.

or so they say lol

[Chinook]

Austin will likely never be dense enough for subways. But they need to focus on regional rail systems to make it feasible to get into downtown without having to drive or take a slow bus. Instead, they're focusing on a new line that goes between 38th and SoCo and that doesn't even get out to the airport. It seems designed to benefit the rich folks already living in the center, who are the the ones currently suffering the least from the traffic (and contributing the most to the housing crisis). I bet it's way more expensive to build per mile than the regional rail system is, and they don't even seem to be planning for folks who want to try this shitty rail system driving in from the outskirts to the termini of the line to try to use it for the last bit of the journey.

Then in terms of roads TXDOT is expanding 35 in a way that seems like it could be a nightmare. Austin badly needs to create a way for through-traffic to bypass the main highway. In the south they're building an upper deck, but downtown they're planning on eminent domaining some historical land to widen 35 to 20 lanes. I think the concept of "induced demand" is poorly understood by folks critical of car culture, but unless these extra lanes are extremely well designed, it's going to be a cluster fuck.

So yeah, the path to fixing Austin's traffic is pretty clear: 1) Build a loop around the city for through-traffic to use as a bypass. 2) Build a rail network to bring people in the extremities of the city and the surrounding suburbs into the city center. 3) Create a compact trolley/bus/streetcar system for people to travel around the city center. Yes, increasing density needs to happen. But that's something that's going to require more than a magic wand. In that same way, continuing to normalize telework wherever possible would alleviate some pressure. But for me the main issue is that despite being the lowest in priority, the city is focusing on moving about the city city center and scrapping the more straight-forward options in an effort to continue to court rich people looking to move, tourists and celebrities rather than trying to make life better and more affordable for the folks who are already here. The thing they can't control is that the state government is obsessed with trying to maintain the car/fossil fuel culture wiser planners are trying to get away from, and they continue to frustrate many more progressive measures the city tries to take. They are the ones who decide which highways go where, and they don't particularly care about finding a better solution to Austin's traffic than trying to make them Katy 2.0.

[leemajors]

Austin will likely never be dense enough for subways. But they need to focus on regional rail systems to make it feasible to get into downtown without having to drive or take a slow bus. Instead, they're focusing on a new line that goes between 38th and SoCo and that doesn't even get out to the airport. It seems designed to benefit the rich folks already living in the center, who are the the ones currently suffering the most from the traffic. I bet it's way more expensive to build per mile than the regional rail system is, and they don't even seem to be planning for folks who want to try this shitty rail system driving in from the outskirts to the termini of the line to try to use it for the last bit of the journey.

Then in terms of roads TXDOT is expanding 35 in a way that seems like it could be a nightmare. Austin badly needs to create a way for through-traffic to bypass the main highway. In the south they're building an upper deck, but downtown they're planning on eminent domaining some historical land to widen 35 to 20 lanes. I think the concept of "induced demand" is poorly understood by folks critical of car culture, but unless these extra lanes are extremely well designed, it's going to be a cluster fuck.

So yeah, the path to fixing Austin's traffic is pretty clear: 1) Build a loop around the city for through-traffic to use as a bypass. 2) Build a rail network to bring people in the extremities of the city and the surrounding suburbs into the city center. 3) Create a compact trolley/bus/streetcar system for people to travel around the city center. Yes, increasing density needs to happen. But that's something that's going to require more than a magic wand. In that same way, continuing to normalize telework wherever possible would alleviate some pressure. But for me the main issue is that despite being the lowest in priority, the city is focusing on moving about the city city center and scrapping the more straight-forward options in an effort to continue to court rich people looking to move, tourists and celebrities rather than trying to make life better and more affordable for the folks who are already here. The thing they can't control is that the state government is obsessed with trying to maintain the car/fossil fuel culture wiser planners are trying to get away from, and they continue to frustrate many more progressive measures the city tries to take. They are the ones who decide which highways go where, and they don't particularly care about finding a better solution to Austin's traffic than trying to make them Katy 2.0.

Keeping/expanding the Dillo would have been perfect for city center movement.

[Millennial_Messiah]

Austin will likely never be dense enough for subways. But they need to focus on regional rail systems to make it feasible to get into downtown without having to drive or take a slow bus. Instead, they're focusing on a new line that goes between 38th and SoCo and that doesn't even get out to the airport. It seems designed to benefit the rich folks already living in the center, who are the the ones currently suffering the most from the traffic. I bet it's way more expensive to build per mile than the regional rail system is, and they don't even seem to be planning for folks who want to try this shitty rail system driving in from the outskirts to the termini of the line to try to use it for the last bit of the journey.

Then in terms of roads TXDOT is expanding 35 in a way that seems like it could be a nightmare. Austin badly needs to create a way for through-traffic to bypass the main highway. In the south they're building an upper deck, but downtown they're planning on eminent domaining some historical land to widen 35 to 20 lanes. I think the concept of "induced demand" is poorly understood by folks critical of car culture, but unless these extra lanes are extremely well designed, it's going to be a cluster fuck.

So yeah, the path to fixing Austin's traffic is pretty clear: 1) Build a loop around the city for through-traffic to use as a bypass. 2) Build a rail network to bring people in the extremities of the city and the surrounding suburbs into the city center. 3) Create a compact trolley/bus/streetcar system for people to travel around the city center. Yes, increasing density needs to happen. But that's something that's going to require more than a magic wand. In that same way, continuing to normalize telework wherever possible would alleviate some pressure. But for me the main issue is that despite being the lowest in priority, the city is focusing on moving about the city city center and scrapping the more straight-forward options in an effort to continue to court rich people looking to move, tourists and celebrities rather than trying to make life better and more affordable for the folks who are already here. The thing they can't control is that the state government is obsessed with trying to maintain the car/fossil fuel culture wiser planners are trying to get away from, and they continue to frustrate many more progressive measures the city tries to take. They are the ones who decide which highways go where, and they don't particularly care about finding a better solution to Austin's traffic than trying to make them Katy 2.0.

The problem with the "bypass" idea is that they already spent billions on that stupid toll road which is way to hell and gone but still serves as a "bypass" to some extent. And, it's expensive. But TxDot doesn't care about the average bear. Either spend out the butt on gas, time, and toll fares, or pull your hair out averaging 3 mph on I-35. Your choice.

[pgardn]

The density of heavy transport vehicles is ungodly on 35 as well.
Could use more than 1 lane to keep them out.
Unfortunately too much of 35 is essentially 3 lanes

remarkably in my experience the truckers stay out of the far left lane like they are supposed to

[ChumpDumper]

The density of heavy transport vehicles is ungodly on 35 as well.
Could use more than 1 lane to keep them out.
Unfortunately too much of 35 is essentially 3 lanes

remarkably in my experience the truckers stay out of the far left lane like they are supposed to

It's actually illegal for them to be in the left lane from like Ben White to Georgetown. At least it was.

They should really incentivize thru truckers to use 130. Hell, make it free for them.

[lebomb]

There needs to be a way to get to 130 Toll Rd around New Braunfels or San Marcos area. Waiting to Buda to get to 130 is way to late, and who wants to drive 60mi. out of the way past Seguin to get to 130 from San Antonio. :rolleyes

[Trill Clinton]

It's not great, tbh. Massive influx of people for years without any planning or infrastructure to support it.

Sounds like SA.

[Xevious]

Austin will likely never be dense enough for subways. But they need to focus on regional rail systems to make it feasible to get into downtown without having to drive or take a slow bus. Instead, they're focusing on a new line that goes between 38th and SoCo and that doesn't even get out to the airport. It seems designed to benefit the rich folks already living in the center, who are the the ones currently suffering the least from the traffic (and contributing the most to the housing crisis). I bet it's way more expensive to build per mile than the regional rail system is, and they don't even seem to be planning for folks who want to try this shitty rail system driving in from the outskirts to the termini of the line to try to use it for the last bit of the journey.

Then in terms of roads TXDOT is expanding 35 in a way that seems like it could be a nightmare. Austin badly needs to create a way for through-traffic to bypass the main highway. In the south they're building an upper deck, but downtown they're planning on eminent domaining some historical land to widen 35 to 20 lanes. I think the concept of "induced demand" is poorly understood by folks critical of car culture, but unless these extra lanes are extremely well designed, it's going to be a cluster fuck.

So yeah, the path to fixing Austin's traffic is pretty clear: 1) Build a loop around the city for through-traffic to use as a bypass. 2) Build a rail network to bring people in the extremities of the city and the surrounding suburbs into the city center. 3) Create a compact trolley/bus/streetcar system for people to travel around the city center. Yes, increasing density needs to happen. But that's something that's going to require more than a magic wand. In that same way, continuing to normalize telework wherever possible would alleviate some pressure. But for me the main issue is that despite being the lowest in priority, the city is focusing on moving about the city city center and scrapping the more straight-forward options in an effort to continue to court rich people looking to move, tourists and celebrities rather than trying to make life better and more affordable for the folks who are already here. The thing they can't control is that the state government is obsessed with trying to maintain the car/fossil fuel culture wiser planners are trying to get away from, and they continue to frustrate many more progressive measures the city tries to take. They are the ones who decide which highways go where, and they don't particularly care about finding a better solution to Austin's traffic than trying to make them Katy 2.0.
Austin has needed a loop for fucking decades.

[GAustex]

Terrain in west Austin is a problem

[ChumpDumper]

Terrain in west Austin is a problemIt's pretty much built out unless they go super dense (ha) and Cedar Park/Lakeway don't want 620 to be made into a freeway to protect their businesses along it. The loop will never really loop.

East towards Manor is the next big growth corridor, especially when/if the landfills along 290 close.

[leemajors]

It's pretty much built out unless they go super dense (ha) and Cedar Park/Lakeway don't want 620 to be made into a freeway to protect their businesses along it. The loop will never really loop.

East towards Manor is the next big growth corridor, especially when/if the landfills along 290 close.

The 290 toll road ending right into those damn stoplights is the worst.

[Millennial_Messiah]

Sounds like SA.

SA has a good highway system. The inner city roads are shitty and full of potholes, but the mother roads are good for the most part. I-35, I-10, Loop I-410, and Loop TX-1604. Also, I-37 in the southeast.

Austin doesn't even come close to having it that good.

[Blake]

Sounds like SA.

Mostly on the far north/northwest side of town where new communities are being built by the minute, especially around the Braun/1604 area heading west around the loop. The state has done a lot of work on it though of late.

Getting around town even during rush hour really is not that bad at all compared to the other big Texas cities. Bonus: no toll roads.

[GAustex]

It's pretty much built out unless they go super dense (ha) and Cedar Park/Lakeway don't want 620 to be made into a freeway to protect their businesses along it. The loop will never really loop.

East towards Manor is the next big growth corridor, especially when/if the landfills along 290 close.
Getting to freeway criteria would be a challenge as the existing corridor is not close to meeting high speed criteria.

Horizontal and vertical challenges exist. Extensive reconstruction through Lakeway would be frowned upon

[Xevious]

Mostly on the far north/northwest side of town where new communities are being built by the minute, especially around the Braun/1604 area heading west around the loop. The state has done a lot of work on it though of late.

Getting around town even during rush hour really is not that bad at all compared to the other big Texas cities. Bonus: no toll roads.

The 1604 stretch between 35 and 10 is the challenge right now. That expansion is going to take years to see any benefits.

[Millennial_Messiah]

Mostly on the far north/northwest side of town where new communities are being built by the minute, especially around the Braun/1604 area heading west around the loop. The state has done a lot of work on it though of late.

Getting around town even during rush hour really is not that bad at all compared to the other big Texas cities. Bonus: no toll roads.

Yeah I'm not a huge fan of SA life overall but I have to say that all things considered it is the best big city in Texas to live. Texas just doesn't have much to offer in terms of fun and the climate is atrocious and the land is flat and insipid. But SA has objectively the best Mexican food in Texas and arguably in the USA. Great food overall too, good burger joints, Chinese joints, and other quality international food considering it is Military City USA. No toll roads. Cheaper cost of living than Houston, Austin, or DFW. Cheaper home prices. Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Sea world is ok. But access to 2 theme parks fifteen minutes apart from each other. The Alamo and cultural history. The riverwalk is ok but best in the wintertime. Classic architecture. Crime, sure, but less than the other three major metros. Shorter drive times as you've mentioned. It's less humid than Houston by far and much less severe weather risk than DFW. CPS is garbage, but then again so is all of ERCOT territory. Jobs that pay the same as DFW jobs but your purchasing power is greater because housing is much cheaper here than DFW or Houston. We have H-E-B, and most of DFW doesn't. And the Spurs are the most winning sports franchise in Texas and will continue to be with Wemby's arrival.

I'd rank Denton as the best individual city in Texas to live in (low crime, cooler autumn, low cost of housing if you're not across the street from the colleges), but not sure if there's that much fun appeal there past like your 20s. There's certainly more trees there than anywhere else in Texas though. SA is the best big city.

[lebomb]

Austin has the 2nd most Skyscrapers in Texas behind Houston. They will be #1 by 2026 with the shear number of skyscrapers scheduled to be constructed.

Crazy................

[Spurs Homer]

It's actually illegal for them to be in the left lane from like Ben White to Georgetown. At least it was.

They should really incentivize thru truckers to use 130. Hell, make it free for them.

agreed..

also

cut down the speed limit for truckers, as they are shitty drivers already and push the posted speeds already…

allowing them to drive 85 on I-30 would turn into a death road in no time

[Millennial_Messiah]

agreed..

also

cut down the speed limit for truckers, as they are shitty drivers already and push the posted speeds already…

allowing them to drive 85 on I-30 would turn into a death road in no time

I agree with all this. Also, yeah making 130 free for thru truckers with a 65 MPH speed limit strictly enforced would be a good thing. Save them gas on high speeds or idling, and give them a way out of the general public Austin traffic.

[Spurs Homer]

I agree with all this. Also, yeah making 130 free for thru truckers with a 65 MPH speed limit strictly enforced would be a good thing. Save them gas on high speeds or idling, and give them a way out of the general public Austin traffic.

although rick perry when he sold us out to china did not give a fuck about any issues with our roads…

[elbamba1]

Sadly the toll roads are no good anymore because they built a bunch of neighborhoods next to them so even though the speed limit is 80 you end up going 45.

[Millennial_Messiah]

Sadly the toll roads are no good anymore because they built a bunch of neighborhoods next to them so even though the speed limit is 80 you end up going 45.

also we did that tollway one time in 2015 and it was like $13.70 just to get from roughly San Marcos / Kyle area to Georgetown. Stupid expensive.

[Millennial_Messiah]

although rick perry when he sold us out to china did not give a fuck about any issues with our roads…

Spanish company in most of Texas. NTTA specifically is Chinese. I tell people in DFW all the time to never use the NTTA tollroads no matter what.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

also we did that tollway one time in 2015 and it was like $13.70 just to get from roughly San Marcos / Kyle area to Georgetown. Stupid expensive.

And no one used it.

[GAustex]

They are adding lanes to SH 130 from SH 71 to south of Pville.
They do not add lanes unless people are using the road

[Millennial_Messiah]

And no one used it.

we did that because the sign going northbound said 95 minutes to georgetown via I-35 and only like an hour via the toll road. Still would prefer that $13.70 and sacrifice a half hour.

[Millennial_Messiah]

They are adding lanes to SH 130 from SH 71 to south of Pville.
They do not add lanes unless people are using the road

Adding lanes to a toll road... yeesch

[Millennial_Messiah]

Have you ever been to austin? Mark Celibate

[Millennial_Messiah]

I've been to every major city tbh imho that's when I realized how sh!tty Dallas was...trolling aside, outside of Detroit/Cleveland (business trips obviously rofl)...I've always felt like wherever I went was better than the Big D - Dallas TX. So much so, that I would get depressed everytime I boarded the plane to go back. Atlanta was very similar to the Big D minus the douchebag culture. I don't even know where it comes from, the Big D has the douchebaggery of LA/Miami with none of the benefits. That's honestly how I'd describe Dallas...all the negatives of the warmer climate cities wrapped into one area, with none of the positives
Have you ever been to Austin?

Austin seems like it is just a worse Dallas. People go for the jobs, but it's always under construction, people are douchebags, California culture, exorbitant real esate prices, basically the same climate as SA very hot and humid (and no winter compared to DFW), nowhere to park (Dallas is at least fairly spread out), no real redeeming qualities of Austin compared to SA really.

[GAustex]

Austin in the 80s was heaven

[leemajors]

Austin in the 80s was heaven

Only been here since 95, and if you stay away from downtown it is still mostly tolerable. It's still hard to believe how much it has changed just since I have been here. I miss Sound Exchange the most probably. Really sucks Waze has added traffic to my neighborhood shortcuts tho

[lebomb]

When I drove by Austin a couple of months back, I though I was on the outskirts of Dubai with all them dayum skyscrapers and cranes.