Austin Public Works Department: Undercover Innovators

If you stopped six strangers on the street of any major city in America and asked them about their Public Works Department, what would they say?

One or two might launch into a list of city maintenance services, citing unsavory experiences involving record slow response times for an unpatched pothole, another few are furious over neglected, post-apocalyptic adjacent storm damage

In Austin, public works means something different. This team is proactive.

Their initiatives range from the Mopac Mobility bridges designed to connect pedestrians and cyclists with Downtown and South Austin, to the Neighborhood Partnering Program, which is aimed at community-initiated project development.

Alex Bruton, Public Information Specialist for Austin Public Works suggests the strength of the department lies in both its invisibility and innovation.

“It’s things people don’t think about, things that are crucial to living in a well-managed city,” she says, “Public Works touches everyone.”

Austin Public Works is positioned to have a fully loaded 2016. Learn more about their different projects below.

Central Library

Mopac Bridges

Sealcoat

Right of Way Maintenance

The City of Austin’s Public Works department seems to operate with this mantra in mind: if you wanna Keep Austin Weird, you gotta Keep Austin Working.