A panel made recommendations to TxDOT, the city of Austin and the Downtown Austin Alliance on capping the I-35 freeway and ensuring a more integrated and community-informed approach to corridor planning. 

In February 2020, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) was poised to initiate the schematic design and environmental study of an approximately 10-mile reconstruction project of the Interstate Highway 35 (I-35) through the heart of Austin, Texas. The project would include the lowering of approximately 3 miles of highway through the center of the city. The State has identified an estimated more than $7 billion to upgrade the aging highway infrastructure an expects to begin construction in 2024 or 2025.   

The Advisory Services panel was asked how a North South Rail Link would impact regional transportation and real estate value within the Boston region and downtown specifically. In addition, the panel was asked to consider how a South Station expansion would impact real estate development and value.

The Greater Boston Region comprises 164 cities and towns throughout eastern Massachusetts, home to more than 4.45 million people. The region’s rail systems were built with multiple terminals and few connections built between the lines. The private lines were consolidated into two separate stub-end stations – the North and South stations. Today, no physical connection exists between these two stations. To remedy this issue, the North South Rail Link was proposed as a 2.8-mile tunnel to connect the two stations and form a unified regional rail network allowing for through-running service between the separate northern and southern commuter rail networks.

An Advisory Services panel made recommendations to the ReConnect Rondo: “More Than a Bridge” organization and its partners on the development of “freeway lid” space to link Rondo neighborhoods adjacent to Interstate 94 with a park or series of parks that straddle the freeway. Panelists considered the types of land uses and development that could be catalyzed by the freeway lids, benefiting the neighborhoods and greater community.

The panel proposed three land use options and cap designs, all emphasizing that the land bridge should move forward, and the opportunity to ensure African American leadership and ownership in future development.

The panel built upon previous advisory work regarding freeway lids conducted by ULI Minnesota, which serves ULI members in the Twin Cities region and throughout the state as well as the Dakotas.