Austin Freeways History
The City of Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas. According to 2019 U.S. Census estimates, Austin has a population of 950,807 people, making it the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 11th largest in the United States. Austin is the county seat of Travis County and is situated in Central Texas. The Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area is one of the fastest-growing in the United States and is home to an estimated population of 2.3 million as of 2021.
Austin, founded in 1839, was first named Waterloo. In 1838, Mirabeau B. Lamar renamed the city in honor of Stephen F. Austin. Its original name is honored by local businesses such as Waterloo Ice House and Waterloo Records. Austin is situated on the Colorado River, and there are three man-made (artificial) lakes within the city limits: Town Lake (now known as Lady Bird Lake), Lake Austin, and Lake Walter E. Long. Additionally, the foot of Lake Travis (including Mansfield Dam), is located within the city’s limits. The city is also situated on the Balcones Fault, which in much of Austin runs roughly the same route as the MoPac expressway.
Residents of Austin are called “Austinites” and include a heady mix of university professors and their students, politicians, and lobbyists. Austin, home of several major technology corporations, is the center of a high-technology region known as Silicon Hills. It is also the self-proclaimed Live Music Capital of the World.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Austin Construction
Turnpike system construction – (added 14-December-2003) Work is progressing quickly on SH 45 and Loop 1.
Austin Construction Index – Photos and maps for the 4 major projects, including 2 five-level stacks
Historic documents
See the amazing 1962 freeway plan for Austin, as well as the ambitious 1985 plan and the 2000 plan, photos of the original IH-35 configuration, plus Loop 1 construction, road signs from the 1950’s and 1960’s, plus the “Wrong Way” girl, vestiges of Austin’s road history can be seen around town, and the design that has unleashed a firestorm of opposition. The Loop 1 study was suspended on 2-Feb-200
Austin Road Photo Gallery
West Austin non-freeway road views – see some of the scenic roads in West Austin
East-west travel in Austin – Here are your choices, all of them bad.
Interstate 35 – Views of the substandard freeway and the notorious double deck section.
Loop 360 – The most scenic urban roadway in Texas.
Loop 1 (Mopac) – TxDOT ended its participation in the Loop 1 study 4-Feb-2002.
71/290 – Austin’s newest freeway has some interesting features.
US183 – See the elevated viaduct and the 183/Loop 1 four-level stack.
Southwest Parkway – a six lane highway cuts through ultra-prime real estate. So why is there no development?
Ranch Road 2222 – the scenic roadway is under increasing traffic pressure
Flood Event – photos of the November 4, 2000, Llano River flood.
Newsflash
Read news articles about roads and highways in the Austin area.