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An aerial view shows a housing development under construction along South Lamar Boulevard near West Mary Street in Austin on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. The South Lamar Corridor Improvements project has been delayed, and the city has more than $1 billion in unspent voter-approved bond funds.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
When Austin leaders put a nearly $295 million bond package<\/a> on the November ballot, they knew voters could ask a fair question: Why borrow more when the city still had hundreds of millions of dollars in unfinished projects from earlier bonds?<\/p>\n The American-Statesman reported in April that the city had more than $1 billion in voter-approved but unissued bond funds, tied to projects dating as far back as 2006. Dozens of bond projects have since been canceled after they were later deprioritized or deemed unfeasible or too costly, according to public data.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n An aerial view shows a housing development under construction along South Lamar Boulevard near West Mary Street in Austin on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. The South Lamar Corridor Improvements project has been delayed, and the city has more than $1 billion in unspent voter-approved bond funds.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman A cyclist rides along 51st Street in the Mueller neighborhood in Austin Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n As the polls opened this week, city staff have forged ahead with an effort to assure voters they have a firm plan for all that borrowing power.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the city launched a public dashboard<\/a> that tracks the status of $2.45 billion in bond projects voters authorized in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022. In a Friday memo<\/a> to the mayor and council, staff announced they would also publish quarterly program reports that will flag bonds with large balances or significant delays and provide updates on individual projects.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, staff told council members and the American-Statesman that the city is now on track to obligate 90% of its prior bond dollars by the end of next year, and to spend at least 90% by the end of 2028.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Canceled, Outstanding Projects<\/p>\n The new bond dashboard lists more than 60 bond projects from the 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022 bonds as canceled. The city defines a canceled project as one \u201cno longer planned to proceed as originally identified,\u201d because of changes in priorities, feasibility, funding, scope or site conditions.<\/p>\n Among the canceled projects:<\/p>\n Affordable housing\u00a0 at Moontower Flats, Escuela Nueva and St. Johns Redevelopment North Improvements to the William Cannon Drive corridor Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n When asked about why these projects were canceled, the city directed the Statesman to the canceled project definition on the dashboard\u2019s FAQ page: \u201cCancellation does not necessarily mean the underlying community need has been eliminated.\u201d<\/p>\n The Statesman previously reported that the city asked voters to approve borrowing for projects before it had fully defined their scopes, schedules and budgets. By the time the city was ready to move forward with some projects, they were often deemed unfeasible because costs had risen.<\/p>\n Bond project updates<\/p>\n In Friday\u2019s memo, staff said the city had completed all bond projects authorized in 2010 and 2013, so would not include them in the quarterly progress reports. The 2006 and 2012 bonds are \u201csubstantially complete and will also be removed,\u201d staff said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThe focus of the report is ongoing bond programs,\u201d Marcus Hammer, Assistant Director of Austin Capital Delivery Services, said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nImprovements to the Ben White Boulevard and Interstate 35 intersection\u00a0
\nIntersection improvements at Burton Drive and East Oltorf Street
\nThe Red Line Trail<\/a><\/p>\n
\nAccessible parking and access at Edward Rendon Sr. Metropolitan Park at Festival Beach\u00a0
\nA pedestrian bridge at the Asian American Resource Center
\nMaintenance at various fire stations across the city, including foundation repair and driveway replacements
\nA bridge at Redbud Trail over Lady Bird Lake\u00a0
\nStreet lighting at Cameron and Dessau roads, East Oltorf Street and East Stassney Lane<\/p>\n