Austin, TX
Texas set to widen heavily traveled Interstate through downtown Austin
Interstate 35, which cuts through the heart of downtown Austin, Texas, is set to undergo a major expansion that state transportation officials say is necessary to bring relief to one of the state’s most clogged highways that will only get more congested as the population continues to grow.
Austin has seen its population double every 20 to 25 years, and last year it
To keep pace with the traffic that’s come along with new residents, the Texas Department of Transportation has launched a $5 billion, four-lane expansion of I-35 through the downtown area, the largest expansion since the highway opened in 1962. It’s the third part of the three-pronged I-35
Texas Department of Transportation
Opponents, who filed a lawsuit seeking to block the central Capital Express project in January, warn the expansion will worsen I-35’s historic role as the city’s racial dividing line. The city of Austin has crafted a plan to try to diminish the barrier with a series of bridges and caps covering the highway, but it remains uncertain whether the city can meet the roughly $900 million price tag.
The federal lawsuit also warns of environmental harms from construction and a widened highway, saying the state and U.S. Department of Transportation failed to follow National Environmental Policy Act, and point to an existing state highway that swings around the city as a better alternative.
The Austin project is part of the state’s larger
“With that economic growth comes a demand for more transportation infrastructure,” Williams said. “The work will never conclude on Interstate 35 between Austin and San Antonio, I can say that pretty definitively.”
TxDOT currently has nearly $40 billion worth of construction projects on tap, compared to California’s $14 billion, according to Williams. The department’s
Williams said the Lone Star state recently topped 30 million and sees 1,300 new residents arrive daily, with the San Antonio to Austin region projected to grow from 5.2 million to 8.3 million people by 2050. TxDOT’s duty is to “really to keep pace,” Williams said.
Center for American Progress
The I-35 central expansion will add four high occupancy vehicle lanes through downtown, which the state says is needed to ease congestion and increase safety.
But research shows that highways typically reach capacity again within three to five years after an expansion, said Kevin DeGood, director of infrastructure policy at the progressive think tank Center for American Progress.
“Travel demand is not a fixed quantity,” DeGood said. “The worse the congestion is, the faster that road is going to fill up.”
Houston’s Katy I-10 Freeway is a good example, he said. The road has been widened “multiple times” — at its widest, it’s 26 lanes across — while overall delay and performance has gotten worse,” he said. “The idea that a highway expansion is going to provide long-term congestion relief is just false.”
The only tool that’s shown to actually reduce traffic jams, DeGood added, are variably priced toll lanes. Texas lawmakers have essentially banned any new toll roads or lanes.
TxDOT has already broken ground on the smaller two projects that make up the Capital Express program. The north project, which will add one managed lane in each direction, carries a $600 million price tag. The south project, which features two managed lanes in each direction, is estimated to cost $550 million.
The central portion will include eight miles across downtown Austin at a cost of $4.9 billion. The Texas Transportation Commission, a five-member board that oversees TxDOT and is
Improvements include removing existing upper decks of the highway, lowering the roadway, reconstructing bridges and adding two high-occupancy vehicle lanes in each direction.
“We have this massive highway cutting through the heart of the city and through the most valuable land in the state,” said Miriam Schoenfield, a board member with ReThink 35, one of several plaintiffs that filed the
In a statement responding to the lawsuit, Williams said the state “carefully followed and even exceeded the environmental and legal requirements to advance this project.”
The Austin area is set to see $10 billion of economic activity in the next 30 years, and improvements to I-35 are “critical,” he said. “The traffic demand is here and will continue to grow as more people move to the Austin area to take advantage of the booming job market and quality of life that Central Texas offers.”
Bloomberg News
Neither the state, U.S. DOT or Federal Highways Administration have filed responses yet to the lawsuit.
The Austin City Council has also registered its opposition to the project with a pair of resolutions, most
Assuming that the project is going forward, the city has crafted a “cap and stitch” plan called
The state has included some of the features on its renderings, but has told the city it needs to come up with the money. Funding options include bonds — which would require a bond election — as well as tax increment financing, federals grants and a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan.
“City staff are discussing funding options holistically and continue to touch base with City Council members to discuss various funding scenarios,” a spokesperson for the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department said in an email.
TEXAS — According to Redfin, a national real estate brokerage firm, the top three most affordable cities for renters in the country are in Texas. The firm released its study in 2025, which also lists the median incomes needed to afford the average rent.
Renters living in the Sawyer Heights neighborhood near downtown Houston say apartments in that area come with a hefty price tag.
“It’s not cheap to live in this city, especially with income the way it is,” said Evan Camp, a renter.
Jacinto Cepeda shares his sentiment, adding you get what you pay for.
“It’s just increasing in price if you want to live somewhere nicer or a little bit safer, I would say, it’s definitely on the pricier side,” Cepeda said.
However, Redfin’s report ranking the top 10 most affordable metros for renters across the country shows renters in the Houston metro area may be better off compared to other Texans. Austin, Houston and Dallas took the top three spots, respectively.
The study analyzes Census Bureau data on median incomes and average rent costs, based on the affordability criteria of renters spending no more than 30% of their income on rent.
“In the most recent American Community Survey, we found that, for the first time, the majority of renters in Harris County in Houston are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent,” said Dr. Stephen Sherman, an associate director of research at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University.
Sherman says while some may consider Houston rent as more reasonable than New York City and Los Angeles, Harris County incomes have not kept up with inflation.
“When you start to look at how that compares to people’s incomes, how high eviction rates are, the quality of multifamily building here, you start to see that that cheery story has some cracks and fissures,” he said.
The Redfin study shows the typical U.S. renter earns nearly $9,000 less than the income needed to afford the median apartment. It shows a median rent in the Houston metro of $1,239, meaning the affordability required for annual income needed is closer to $50,000. As of December 2024, Houston’s median renter income was roughly $58,000, which was nearly $9,000 more than needed to cover the rent. Sherman says that means nearly half of renters don’t make enough.
“Apartment rents and home prices, as well, have stabilized, but when you look at incomes, especially after adjusting for inflation, they’ve actually gone down,” said Sherman, adding this is while expenses like groceries and gas have gone up. “Everything is a trade-off. You can find affordable places to live in Houston, but it might be in an older building in dire need of repairs.”
Cepeda said walkability is one thing he appreciates about the Heights area.
“It’s just a matter of where you’re willing to live where you’re willing to live, and how you’re willing to live is the most important thing,” he said.
An outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness that can cause explosive diarrhea, has been confirmed in Texas, prompting health officials to urge extra precautions when handling fresh produce.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 48 cases of cyclosporiasis across 10 Texas counties. State health officials say there have been no deaths linked to the outbreak so far.
There are no reported cases in Southeast Texas at this time, and Port Arthur officials say they have not received any reported cases from area hospitals or health care providers. Still, health officials say now is the time to take extra precautions.
Judith Smith, Port Arthur’s director of health services, said cyclosporiasis is caused by “a microscopic parasite that is usually found in contaminated food and contaminated water.”
Smith said contamination typically stems from floodwater or sewage water when produce is harvested, allowing parasites to transfer to produce long before it reaches consumers.
“I have not heard of an outbreak like this. It’s been a while. It might have been 2023, 2024, and so, you know, and of course, Texas is not immune,” Smith said.
Smith said foods that are eaten raw can pose a higher risk. “Those foods that are not cooked are the ones that really make you more at risk,” she said.
Health officials recommend washing raw produce, including lettuce, cilantro, raspberries and basil. They also recommend cleaning cutting boards, refrigerating fresh goods and throwing away any remaining produce after experiencing symptoms.
Symptoms can include watery diarrhea, fatigue, lack of appetite and a low-grade fever. “Those individuals that may have that watery diarrhea or really just more than two to three days should seek medical attention,” Smith said.
Testing can confirm the parasite, and early treatment can help prevent more serious complications, especially for children and elderly relatives. Health care experts recommend contacting a health care provider as soon as possible if persistent stomach cramps and other symptoms develop after eating fresh produce.
The Texas Longhorns are less than two months away from starting their regular season slate of the 2026 schedule.
Just like last season, the Longhorns have been given unrealistic expectations by some, but will look to avoid the slow start that had everyone counting them out in September. On paper, the Longhorns should be a lot better than they were last season.
A national championship run should be on the table for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team. One of the reasons that is a possibility is due to the Longhorns have something in common with previous national championship winners.
Legacy Year
Last season, the college football world was enamored by the Indiana Hoosiers. A program that no one saw ever winning the national championship, was hoisting the trophy at the end of the season.
Now, the Hoosiers had a talented roster from top to bottom. But the play of starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the leading factor in this team reaching the mountaintop.
Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has the chance to make that same impression this season. After his first full season as the starting quarterback in Austin last year, there is a growing confidence that Manning is going to be on another level in 2026.
Last season, Manning threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdown passes. If you were to compare those numbers to Mendoza’s last season, the Hoosiers quarterback threw for 3,535 yards and an impressive 41 touchdown passes.
Those numbers make it clear that Manning will have to elevate his performance this season. With a revamped offensive line, the Longhorns quarterback may have the time to rival the numbers of Mendoza from this past season.
But another key piece to the Longhorns’ 2026 roster is a massive wide receiver addition.
It’s going to take the whole village, and Coach Sarkisian went out and got one of the most talented wide receivers in the transfer portal with Cam Coleman.
Coleman had two solid years with the Auburn Tigers and now will look to be the deep field threat for Manning and the Longhorns. The junior receiver’s addition to the roster could take this offensive unit to being one of the top units in the country.
All championship teams have a quarterback who could lead them to victory. Manning could very well be the next elite quarterback to hold a national championship trophy.
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