AUSTIN (KXAN) — As 2024 comes to a close, the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department is reflecting on thousands of repairs and improvements completed on city streets, sidewalks, bridges and intersections.
TPWD maintains nearly 8,000 lane miles of pavements and roads citywide, the department's director, Richard Mendoza, told KXAN. Each year, the department works to treat between 8% and 10% of those miles.
For 2024, more than 630 lane miles underwent pavement surface treatments in Austin. Those enhancements included repaving as well as seal coating and surface treatments to preserve the lifespan of pavements.
More than 220 miles of pavement were also restriped — with special enhancements added to the center lane stripes for improved visibility.
"We put little glass beads for reflectivity at night, so that our traveling public can observe those lanes and ensure that they're traveling safely," he said.
Those improvements are especially critical in Austin, Mendoza added, given all the autonomous vehicle technology coming into town.
"This is even more important now that you see these autonomous vehicles driving around our city," he said. "You may have seen them a little bit more often lately, especially in our downtown space, but they rely on good quality striping and pavement markings to ensure they navigate safely."
In tandem with discussions on street quality is treatment for potholes. This year, TPWD completed more than 2,200 pothole repairs, with 98% of those finished within 48 hours of a report coming into the department.
TPWD also aids in tree requests, responding to more than 4,200 in 2024 alone.
"We really value our tree canopy in our community, especially to help with the heat island effect and create shade for our pedestrians," he said.
Other improvements tackled by the department this year included repairs to more than 150 bridges out of over 460 bridges included in the city's system. Transportation crews also go out and inspect more than 1,100 signalized intersections as part of Austin's street network, issuing repairs when needed.
Beyond responding to service requests and leading infrastructure maintenance and upkeep work, Mendoza said TPWD also helps add community vibrancy to Austin, courtesy its Living Streets Program and film permit collaborations. TPWD issued more than 330 street event permits this year, as well as authorized 211 film permits for a range of creative projects shooting in Austin.
"That's an industry that we pride ourselves in supporting throughout our community," he said.
In Mendoza's opinion, the most important accomplishment from 2024 was the city's completion of its first round of Vision Zero projects. That program centers around minimizing the number of severe and fatal crashes on Austin roadways by tackling infrastructure and safety improvements.
The 2016 mobility bond included a $15 million investment that covered 18 safety projects via Vision Zero. The city announced in late August that it had officially completed those inaugural program enhancements.
Improvements included leading pedestrian signals and enhanced crosswalks, with Vision Zero data revealing treated intersections have experienced a 30% to 40% reduction in major crashes and serious injuries.
"This one I really feel close to my heart, and that's safety," Mendoza said. " Ensuring that our public can access our mobility infrastructure safely and we can make investments that reduce and ultimately eliminate deaths and major injuries in our roadways is a top priority for us."
