The virtual open house for work along Mopac South is happening between now and January 7th. This looks to be the only opportunity for public comment before Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) reveals their preferred alternative sometime in 2022.
The project goes through Zilker Park, and there is potential for CTRMA to pay for parking in Zilker Park by creating a “Park and Ride" which could be used as an alternative to parking at the Polo Fields, effectively recovering the use of this public green space.
Parking could be added under the highway or the old pistol range, a polluted and unused brown field site in the park. To view all of the materials and participate in the open house click here. To skip viewing all the materials and go straight to submitting an official comment click here.
Submit a Comment to CTRMA
You might consider a comment similar to the one below:
“Please consider the following in the project area in and around Zilker Park. Please be sure to align and coordinate each of these with the Zilker Park Vision Plan currently underway.
- Minimize the width of the highway through Zilker Park and minimize the width of the bridge over Lady Bird Lake. These will take land from the park and be a visual barrier to the lake and park.
- Reduce noise impacts and overtaking of land in Zilker to the greatest extent possible, and contribute positively to the Zilker Botanical Garden and Austin Nature and Science Center where any negative impacts do occur.
- Thank you for including shared use paths for pedestrians and bicycles in the Zilker Park area and along Barton Springs Road under the highway. Please also prioritize superior bicycle and pedestrian connections in Zilker Park between the west side of Mopac and the east side at Stratford Drive. Please also maintain or improve the Roberta Crenshaw Pedestrian Walkway under mopac to ensure a superior pedestrian and bicycle experience across the river to the north.
- Include enough space under the highway to accommodate the potential future expansion on the Zilker Eagle mini train in conjunction with the Zilker Park Vision Plan.
- Build a Park and Ride garage near Zilker, potentially under the highway or at the old pistol range that could serve park and ride users traveling into downtown Austin during workday hours, which could double as event and weekend parking for Zilker Park. This parking should minimize any new impervious cover, be screened or buried to minimize visual impacts, and be thoughtfully designed with feedback from the community.
Thank you very much for your consideration!"
The Austin Parks Foundation team is grateful for your support! We will always advocate to protect our city's parkland and make it more accessible. Please reach out to us via email if you have any questions!
