Work began Friday on a project intended to breathe new life into the “Main Street of Texas.”
The first phase of the “Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative” kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the start of a $13 million project that is expected to transform Congress Avenue from Cesar Chavez Street to Seventh Street into a “dynamic and vibrant corridor” with a “complete redesign” over the next 18 months, according to Austin Transportation and Public Works Director Richard Mendoza.
The initiative aims to make Congress more people-centric without reducing lane space for vehicles, with planned upgrades including protected bike lanes, trees and planters. But the biggest change, Mendoza said Friday, will be the addition of “programmable storefront activation zones.”
“That’s a fancy way of saying that we will create permanent infrastructure that will allow businesses to use the areas in front of their stores while still having ample room for pedestrians,” Mendoza said. The zones will create space businesses can utilize for outdoor cafe seating, merchandise display racks and direct interaction with pedestrians.
“That’s what the project is really about: creating spaces for people to enjoy and interact as a community,” Mendoza said.
The project, funded by the city of Austin’s 2020 mobility bond, will gradually overhaul each block of the corridor, starting with the 100 block of Congress north of the Ann W. Richards bridge. Construction will progress block-by-block, moving north until the project is complete. Each block is estimated to take about three months to complete.
While crews will try to keep disruptions to a minimum, periodic lane closures and short-term detours will be inevitable, Mendoza said. Construction noise and dust could also be disruptive, but project managers will be on site to liaise with business owners in an effort to minimize impacts, he said.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said on Friday those disruptions are worthwhile in order to invest in downtown.
“Downtown is the living room of our entire community, and there’s not a more important part of that living room than Congress Avenue,” Watson said. “Sometimes we have moments where you truly do have to break an egg to make an omelet.”
A future phase of the project could convert the remainder of the corridor, from Seventh to 11th streets, into a pedestrian plaza, closing the street off to vehicle traffic. Mendoza said that phase is still in planning and design and the city has not yet announced a timeline or funding for that phase of the initiative.