Austin to drop report on Congress Ave. revamp, pedestrian plaza next year
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin will release a new report next year outlining the next steps for a proposed revamp of Congress Avenue, including the potential of a pedestrian-centric plaza in the future.
The Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative has proposed a full revamp of Congress Avenue between Riverside Drive and 11th Street to the tune of an estimated $130 million. Transportation leaders are eyeing initial improvements to the corridor between Cesar Chavez and 11th Streets, with a possible plaza between Seventh and 11th Streets.
The city has $22 million available from the 2020 Active Transportation and Safety Bond to cover portions of that first phase of work. Based on that available funding, the city could financially cover two of the four blocks included in that pedestrian plaza proposal along with additional improvements south of Seventh Street, as confirmed during a Dec. 3 Austin Urban Transportation Commission meeting.
The commission approved a recommendation for the initiative, teeing up the council to consider the item in the future. In the interim, an Austin Transportation and Public Works spokesperson told KXAN a full report will come out in early 2025 outlining public feedback on the proposal and next steps for the project.
That report factors in feedback from the Urban Transportation Commission and other groups, as well as input gathered by residents during a community survey period back in the fall.
The vision of a redeveloped Congress Avenue has been in the works for years, Laura Dierenfield, manager of Austin's active transportation and street design division, said during the meeting. Officials said the main goal of the project is to open up pedestrian space and fully lean into Congress Avenue being the "Main Street of Texas" as it leads to the Texas Capitol Complex.
"The Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative was originally one of four named Large Capital projects affirmed by Council and then by voters as part of the 2020 Mobility Bond. As part of a public process to gather feedback on a proposed first phase, the Urban Transportation Commission offered a recommendation, as did other community groups," the Austin Transportation and Public Works spokesperson said. "City staff is currently evaluating this feedback, and a report will be furnished in early 2025 reflecting that feedback and next steps with the project."
Matthew Geske, vice president of public affairs with the Downtown Austin Alliance, echoed support for the initiative and its capability to add "vibrancy" to a key arterial downtown. The DAA partnered with the city on the vision plan behind the initiative, which was released in spring 2022.
In an interview with KXAN, Geske said the possibility of a pedestrian plaza north of Seventh Street will offer a seamless transit into the Capitol Complex, bolstering economic revenue generation and capitalizing on visitors and legislative staff coming and going in the immediate area.
"When the legislature is in town, you see a lot of foot traffic back and forth, and what we really want to see is the retail and restaurant and other activity going on in that area, because it's just a natural progression for folks to go visit the Capitol and come back down Congress," he said.