South Austin Roads to Get a Facelift

Texas roads are getting a makeover.

The Texas Department of Transportation director Joe Weber’s abrupt retirement is a turning point in a long awaited journey to renovate South Austin roads.

After intense lobbying from fellow Texas A&M grad Governor Rick Perry, Weber took over the coveted job for a year-and-a-half. During his tenure, voters approved Proposition 1, an effort that gives more than $1 billion in oil and gas revenue to the construction and maintenance of Texas roads. Currently, fourteen road construction projects are slated for the next few years. 

During Weber’s last year, lawmakers dedicated almost $3 billion a year to roads from the sales and used tax and motor vehicle sales tax. Lawmakers are pushing to enact “step 2” after 80 percent of voters approved Prop. 1.

Last November, voters approved more than a billion dollars to dedicate to Texas roads. About $120 million of those dollars will go to improvements in the Austin area. Immediate improvements will begin at the intersection of 51st Street and southbound I-35. Funds will also be used to improve the intersections around Riverside Drive and Woodland Avenue and rebuilding the Interstate 35 bridge over Oltorf.