Timeline for I-35 expansion comes into focus for Austin

The timeline of the state's multibillion-dollar I-35 overhaul is coming into focus, and Austin commuters may want to reacquaint themselves with a map of the city as they try to ferret out shortcuts.

Why it matters: The misery of moving north and south at rush hour through Austin's chief arteries is about to get a lot worse.

What's happening: The Texas Department of Transportation has moved past the public input and design phase and is acquiring right of way , potentially displacing businesses and people from more than 140 properties.

Zoom in: The $4.5 billion, 8-mile central piece of the project, the most costly and controversial, includes dismantling the existing I-35 upper decks north of Manor Road.

• Adding two non-tolled high-occupancy lanes in each direction from U.S. 290 East to Ben White Boulevard, for a total of at least 15 lanes — though there are more when frontage roads are folded in .
• Sinking lanes beneath ground level from East Oltorf Street to East Riverside Drive and from East Cesar Chavez Street to Airport Boulevard.

The timeline: Construction is expected to start later this year and last through 2032 in the following phases:

• 2024-26 – East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bridge
• 2024-27 – Drainage tunnel under I-35 and East Cesar Chavez Street
• 2024-31 – Lady Bird Lake (Holly Street to East Ben White Boulevard)
• 2025-28 – CapMetro Red Line bridges (Airport Boulevard and East Fourth Street)
• 2026-31 – University (U.S. 290 East to East Martin Luther King Boulevard)
• 2026-32 – Downtown (East Martin Luther King Boulevard to Holly Street)

Catch up quick: Despite local opposition to the massive expansion project, short of a court order it appears likely to go forward.

• In late February Rethink35, a nonprofit opposed to the project, refiled a federal civil rights administrative complaint with the signatories of three declared mayoral candidates and more than 30 organizations and neighborhood associations.
• The complaint, which argues the project is discriminatory, seeks to have TxDOT re-draw its project proposal under the supervision of the Federal Highway Administration.

What they're saying: "I-35 has divided Austin, and displaced and harmed people of color since it was built. TxDOT efforts to expand I-35 will worsen that division, displacement and harm," Chris Harris of the Austin Justice Coalition said in a statement.

The other side: The I-35 expansion is "designed with the community and for the community," TxDOT executive director Marc Williams said in January .

• State officials have said the project is necessary to accommodate the region's booming population, improve emergency response times and ease traffic congestion.

The latest: Austin officials announced Monday the city was awarded $105.2 million by the federal government to build large decks on portions of I-35 through central Austin.

The bottom line: Start building up a library of podcasts … you're going to need them.

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