An early draft of the Congress Avenue Design Initiative has been shown to Austin’s Downtown Commission. It’s a plan to dramatically change Congress Avenue into a much more pedestrian, bike, and bus-friendly road by removing parking spaces, widening sidewalks while minimizing lanes of traffic, and creating dedicated lanes for public transport.
By widening sidewalks, the draft expects increased protection for pedestrians, as well as cyclists who would also get widened, dedicated lanes. Bus-only lanes are also planned. A funding source is still unclear, as is whether voters might get the final say on this.
The plan could take more than 20-years to complete.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
