Austin, TX
Austin traffic increased after state workers returned to office, but travel speeds barely changed
Traffic volumes on Austin’s highways climbed after state employees were ordered back to the office full-time March 31, according to new data obtained by KUT News. But average travel speeds during morning and afternoon rush hours were little changed on Interstate 35, MoPac and U.S. Highway 183.
City streets showed even less fluctuation in travel times, aside from some construction zones.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise. Government employees make up less than 2% of the 1.5 million workers in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The mixed results also reflect a complicated reality: traffic congestion is shaped by overlapping forces — everything from crashes to signal timing — not just the number of vehicles on the road.
Nathan Bernier
/
KUT News
“When you start talking about traffic, there are lots of things in play besides what you’re thinking about,” said David Schrank, senior research scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. “We can look in generalities at what’s happening, but it’s very difficult to pinpoint.”
KUT News requested Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) data comparing the first week of the state’s return-to-office mandate with the first week of March to avoid muddying the numbers with the spring break slowdown.
The week of March 31, highway traffic volumes increased most on I-35 at Onion Creek Parkway. About 5% more cars and trucks traveled on weekdays in both directions, suggesting more people commuting from suburbs south of Austin.
But during the morning commute, defined as 6 to 10 a.m., average weekday travel speeds on I-35 at Onion Creek actually increased from 18 to 28 miles per hour. The afternoon commute saw a more predictable drop in southbound travel speeds from 28 to 25 miles per hour.
One factor could be that workers now have more flexibility to decide when they hit the road.
“They might take a call at the house before they leave,” Schrank said. “And then, ‘OK. I’m going to drive in now. Traffic sort of died down.’”
City traffic data — supplied by the traffic analytics company INRIX — shows little change on local streets.
That’s not to say certain pockets could be worse.
“I think the data doesn’t necessarily indicate where hotspots may be,” said Brian Craig with the city of Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Department. “So that is something that we are actively looking for.”
The city monitors intersections with cameras and adjusts traffic signal timing as needed, especially in areas where return-to-office orders might put more cars and trucks on the road.
One focus has been the TxDOT campus on Stassney Lane, where state employees returned to a site where they struggled to find parking.
“We’ve made [traffic signal] timing adjustments,” Craig said. “We know if we had not, it certainly would have become a very hot spot as far as congestion goes.”
Cesar Chavez Street to the west of I-35 was another trouble area. Construction at the Austin Convention Center slowed travel times by as much as 37%, but only during permitted working hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
One of Austin’s most reliably jammed roads didn’t change much. I-35 at Lady Bird Lake averaged about 10 miles per hour during the afternoon commute before the state’s return-to-office mandate.
The week after? Still 10 miles an hour.
The MLS All-Stars take the pitch in a 4-3-3 formation, with Evander (FC Cincinnati) sporting the armband after winning the 2025 MLS All-Star Captain Fan Vote presented by Captain Morgan.
Brad Stuver (Austin FC) starts at goalkeeper in front of his home crowd.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Monday for a special session called to work on the regulation of THC and 17 other items from Gov. Greg Abbott.
Abbott initially called for the session after vetoing a ban on most hemp products.
THC is the psychoactive compound found in hemp and marijuana.
Other topics on the special session agenda include flood response, natural disaster preparedness and redrawing the state’s congressional districts.
Lawmakers will also consider legislation that would ban abortion pills and allow for collection of DNA samples from some people crossing the border.
THC ban
When the regular legislative session ended in June, one of the bills sent to Abbott’s desk was a ban on THC, Senate Bill 3.
The bill banned consumable THC products like vapes, gummies and drinks.
That bill was vetoed by Abbott in a move that stunned Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who had pushed for the bill to pass all session.
In his veto, Abbott called the bill “well-intentioned” but noted it would face legal challenges.
Abbott has called for stricter regulations of products and to prevent the sale of products to minors.
Patrick called the veto and subsequent special session a move to legalize recreational marijuana.
A poll from the University of Texas and Texas Politics Project shows that more than 50 percent of Texans do not approve of the ban.
The Texas hemp industry now supports an estimated 50,000 jobs and generates $8 billion in annual tax revenue.
Flood warning systems, emergency communications, relief funding
Four items relate to flood response and natural disaster preparedness, marking the severity of the recent flash flooding that claimed over 100 lives in the Texas Hill Country on the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
In the midst of search and rescue efforts, many critics have questioned the alert systems in place to warn residents before disasters of this nature occur. The special session appears to be weighted towards strengthening those systems and funding areas in need of improvement.
Those four items are:
- FLOOD WARNING SYSTEMS: Legislation to improve early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
- FLOOD EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: Legislation to strengthen emergency communications and other response infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
- RELIEF FUNDING FOR HILL COUNTRY FLOODS: Legislation to provide relief funding for response to and recovery from the storms which began in early July 2025, including local match funding for jurisdictions eligible for FEMA public assistance.
- NATURAL DISASTER PREPARATION & RECOVERY: Legislation to evaluate and streamline rules and regulations to speed preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters.
The Texas House and Senate have each appointed a nine-person committee ahead of the special session. The committees will work together and hold a meeting at the Capitol on July 23 and another meeting in Kerr County the next week.
Congressional redistricting
Lawmakers to consider redistricting in special session
Texas lawmakers will hold their first joint committee meeting next Wednesday to start to discuss ways to prevent another deadly flood disaster. Governor Abbott has also added redistricting to the special session agenda. FOX’s Steven Dial has more on the governor’s priorities, and what to expect.
Abbott has called for lawmakers to take up redistricting as part of the legislative session.
The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to Abbott saying four congressional districts in Texas show signs of racial gerrymandering that is unconstitutional.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he wanted to gain five Republican seats in the U.S. House through the state’s redistricting efforts.
The move sparked anger from Democrats, who could consider filibusters and possibly breaking quorum to prevent it from happening.
Abortion pills, DNA testing and other special session topics
Lawmakers have already filed several bills for the special session.
Among the bills, some look to block the sale of abortion-inducing drugs in the state and create penalties for transporting a minor across state lines for an abortion.
Another would require people to use the bathroom, locker room and other similar public spaces that match their biological gender.
A bill filed by Rep. Terri Leo Wilson would allow for DNA collection and testing of certain people crossing the Texas-Mexico border for use by the Department of Homeland Security.
What is a special session?
According to the Texas Constitution, the governor can call a special session “at any time and for any reason.”
The reasons for calling the special session must be laid out, and only topics listed by the governor’s proclamation can be taken up during the session.
Special sessions are limited to a maximum of 30 days, but are not required to be that long.
The Source: Information in this article comes from bills filed in the Texas legislature and previous FOX 7 coverage.
“Stuuuuuuuuuuuu,” the crowd at Q2 stadium echoed.
It sounds like heckling. Almost a sudden booing noise every time he makes a save.
But it’s only the opposite.
It’s something you’ll probably hear a lot of in a week’s time when Austin FC’s beloved goalkeeper Brad Stuver makes his first-ever All-Star game appearance at home, in Austin, on July 23.
In a sport where players’ prime years are seemingly getting younger and younger, Stuver, at the age of 34, shows that late bloomers are not a lost art.
Selected in the second round of the 2013 Major League Soccer SuperDraft by the Montreal Impact, Stuver’s career would start with goalie turmoil. From 2013 to 2020, Stuver made a total of nine appearances for MLS clubs as an emergency pool goalkeeper.
“I think it’s always in the back of your mind when you’re getting closer to 30 and you haven’t really been a consistent starter,” Stuver told The Athletic. “You’re always worried what the perception of you as a player is going to be in the eyes of (general managers) and head coaches.”
However, all it takes is one opportunity, and in 2021, that opportunity arose. A new expansion team by the name of Austin FC was joining the league at the same time Stuver was a free agent.
Stuver had a leg up on other goalies due to his relationships with two prominent figures of the club: head coach Josh Wolff and sporting director Claudio Reyna, both of whom have since left.
He became a fan favorite immediately, winning over the hearts of fans after a solid first two seasons, including a run to the Western Conference final in the club’s second season.
“Last year validated everything that I thought over that eight, nine-year period when I came down here to Austin and got a chance to become a starter and kind of took it and ran with it,” Stuver told MLSsoccer.com. “I always knew that once I got my chance that I would be okay, that I would continue to push myself and make myself better, and all I needed was a chance. I’m glad that Austin saw that.”
While the club has failed to reach the playoffs since 2022, Stuver has remained a constant amidst the chaos and change surrounding the club, leading the league in saves in 2023 and 2024.
Austin has also been the perfect setting for Stuver off the pitch. In a city known for its cultural diversity, Stuver has had a platform to expand on his already vast resume of philanthropic work, including becoming a board member for the Equality Texas Foundation, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit in Texas.
“There’s always going to be resistance, no matter what you speak out against, whether it’s racial equality, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights,” Stuver told The Athletic. “The Austin community, as a whole, has been extremely supportive. The club has been extremely supportive. It’s a really good thing when you know that you have the support of those people that surround you.”
After years of waiting for a chance, Stuver has finally found a city in Austin where he can showcase the best of himself on and off the pitch, a place where he’s not afraid to be himself.
So, the next time you hear the crowd at Q2 stadium scream his name, remember that it’s not just a chant — it’s a product of the mutual connection forever instilled between him and the hearts of Austin FC supporters.
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