Austinites are invited to an open house Tuesday on a proposed expansion of MoPac Expressway that some advocates say could harm the environment and worsen traffic.
The proposed MoPac South project, spearheaded by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, would add a tolled express lane to the highway in each direction from Cesar Chavez Street to Barton Skyway and from Convict Hill Road to Slaughter Lane. It also would add two express lanes from Barton Skyway to Convict Hill Road and elevated ramps near Barton Skyway.
The mobility authority is hosting the meeting, which will feature video, exhibit boards and schematics. Visitors will be able to submit written comments and speak with staff, according to the agency. The meeting is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Bowie High School cafeteria, 4103 W. Slaughter Lane.
Materials are also available online at ph.mopacsouth.com. The authority is accepting written comments through May 3.
The project was first conceived in 2013 in response to population growth and increasing congestion along the corridor. It has faced community opposition, especially because the corridor spans the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.
On the project website, the mobility authority says that “any potential project-related impacts to water quality are being carefully considered.” Environmental advocates in the Better MoPac Coalition — formed to oppose the project and including organizations like the Save Our Springs Alliance — say the project’s environmental study fails to capture its full impact.
“CTRMA’s draft Environmental Assessment is more sales pitch than the honest evaluation of the likely environmental, cultural, and economic impacts that the law requires,” said Bobby Levinski, a staff attorney with Save our Springs. “The draft assessment pretends like this massive highway widening will simply fall from the sky rather than cause real environmental harm and major traffic problems during the five-to-seven year construction period.”