Drivers review plans to speed up commute times on MoPac Expressway

AUSTIN, Texas — MoPac Expressway is busier than ever, attracting up to 200,000 cars per day, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute .

If congestion is not addressed, travel times are expected to increase, which Alex Kahler, a northwest Austinite, dreads.

"It can be really frustrating, and especially if you have to go rush hour around 290/360, it's just a mess. I avoid it like the plague – even worse than 35," Kahler said.

Now, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority , an independent government agency, is organizing an environmental study to look for a solution.

The agency is looking at adding express lanes to an 8-mile stretch of MoPac from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane.

The agency declined to talk to KVUE at an open house at Austin High School, but we did speak with residents.

"So I'm really concerned about the concept of expanding the highway further. I don't think the science has shown over the years that making highways wider works," Bobby Levinski, an environmental attorney with Save Our Springs, said. "So what I think what we are really trying to solve for is how do we move people, not necessarily cars. Can we invest in other alternatives than just highway expansion that can help people commute?"

According to the project website , the express lane on MoPac from Cesar Chavez Street to Parmer Lane has worked since it opened seven years ago. It helped reduce travel times.

But fellow Austinite Katrina Miller also wants to take the focus off driving.

"As long as we're prioritizing car driving, we are going to keep on pushing development further out into Hill Country and further up north and everything, and commutes just get longer and longer," Miller said. "We don't have to add congestion. Be smart and think about people like me who don't want to drive everywhere all the time and would happily take public transit."

It is continuing the conversation on what the future of Austin transit holds as more people hit the road.

If you have any comments on the study, you can email or visit here . The next step is for the agency to publish a draft environmental assessment.