Ongoing construction along I-35 could mean more closures and detours, which is why Austin is investing in CapMetro’s Bus Route 2 to help East Austinites.

AUSTIN, Texas — In preparation for more construction along I-35 in Downtown Austin, the city is making a major investment to a bus route that can help people get around traffic. 

Among those people is Elliott Henderson of East Austin, who rides the CapMetro bus faithfully. 

“I’ve been riding it for over 20 years,” Henderson said. 

Most of that time he has spent on Bus Route 2. 

“This one’s running very more frequently than the other ones. It comes and comes,” Henderson said. “One passes the next sec, the next minute. So in minutes there’s another one coming.”

And now, more busses will be coming, after the Austin City Council approved a $5 million grant for improvements on Route 2. It will cover things like overtime for bus drivers and closing a long-standing gap in service on Springdale Road in East Austin. The route currently operates in a “C” shape, with one end terminated around Oak Springs Drive and the other near Cesar Chavez Street.

“It really emerged as a preferred option for us, being that it’s already in existence,” Jacob Barrett, the Transportation Demand Programs Manager, said. “We can really provide additional funding to make it better.”

Barrett said the location was key in the decision to invest money into Route 2. 

“It really operates as that kind of east-west connector that we’re looking to really solve for, especially with I-35 construction [and] other construction projects,” Barrett said. 

The purpose of the project is to get more people on the bus and fewer people on the road.

“You’re looking at I-35 construction,” Barrett said. “You’re going to have lanes closed, bridges closed for months and years at a time.”

Barrett said he believes it takes the entire community to move the city as it goes through growing pains.

“We all need to be doing something so that we can reduce our congestion in the city,” Barrett said. 

Henderson said he agrees. 

“It’s a lifesaver, man … ” Henderson said. “I know … it’s cheaper than a car.”