Sign our petition to STOP I-35 expansion and prevent:
- More toxic air for thousands 😷
- Worse heat thru heat island & climate change 🥵
- Destroying 100+ homes, businesses, & schools 👿
- A miserable place for decades to come 😢
Rochester NY: Inner Loop removal:
- Walking rose by 50% & biking by 60% in the area
- Reclaimed 6.5 acres of land
- $22m highway removal yielded $229m in investment
"I cannot support [I-35 expansion]... Wider highways don't work." - US Congressman
@GregCasar
We are deeply grateful for Congressman Casar's powerful words against I-35 expansion at his town hall last Thursday.
THANK YOU Congressman for your strong leadership on I-35!
What’s a typical weekend like in a city where building spaces for cars takes precedence over people? Here’s two days in the life in the city built by TxDOT.
10 years ago, Abbott ran this campaign ad about traffic in TX.
Is spending money only on roads working? Maybe it’s time to rethink what we are doing here before we have 22 lanes of congestion.
INCREDIBLE: Rail between San Antonio & Austin could have highest ridership out of any city pairs in Texas!
Could there be any greater contrast with the I-35 expansion?? 😆
THE YEAR: 3025
THE PLACE: Austin, Texas
I-35 now has 190 lanes. The Texas Capitol Building has just been bulldozed to make room for TxDOT's latest highway expansion. With the resulting congestion, it now takes 12 weeks to drive from Round Rock to downtown Austin.
💥HUGE NEWS!💥
We're thrilled to announce "Wider Won't Work: The Rally to Stop I-35 Expansion" is taking place Sunday November 5th, 11am, outside the Palm School!
Help us accomplish the biggest freeway fighter rally in Texas history!
More info & RSVP:
Seoul, South Korea: Cheonggye Freeway removal
- 3C/38F drop in average summer temperatures in adjacent area
- Boosted Seoul’s tourist economy with half a million visitors new visiting the creek each week, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in South Korea
TxDOT claims that it’s Capital Express widening project has “no significant impact” on the neighborhoods it runs through.
Let’s see how I-35 impacts one neighborhood along the project route.
Mr. Ferguson, point to the spot on the I-35 expansion map where a pedestrian will have to spend 20 minutes walking up and down a ramp that doubles back on itself 5 times in order to get across the street
Thank you to EVERYONE who spoke at Austin City Council today about the I-35 resolution (which passed)!
So many incredible speeches, so much passion.
And NOT ONE speaker supported
@TxDOT
's plans. 😀
💥HUGE NEWS!💥
The Travis County Commissioners Court has just made the STRONGEST official statement yet by ANY elected officials on I-35! 😆
The court has asked
@TxDOT
NOT to proceed with the I-35 project UNTIL the Court's serious concerns with the project are addressed.😮
"Widening I-35 is like thinking you're one credit card away from financial freedom."
😂😂😂
Great snippet from Julio Rojas-Aguilar, speaking against I-35 expansion at the Travis County Commissioners Court in February.
We're excited to finally share one of the most exciting images from last Sunday's Wider Won't Work rally!
These and countless other community members are sending the message loud and clear, far and wide:
"Wider Won't Work! We MUST NOT expand I-35."
Snickers from the audience at today's Texas Transportation Commission when the Commission had to admit big opposition to I-35 expansion and just two lonely supporters. 😆
It's Friday and we love you, so open your gift. 🎁
🎉8 incredible highway to boulevard projects. The facts laid out clearly and beautifully for all to see. 🎉😃
@NewUrbanism
Today's Austin City Council I-35 resolution was historic.
Council has now FOR THE FIRST TIME officially used the word "unacceptable" in connection with this project and its greenhouse gas impacts.
CAMPO did not come through for us, for the community, for the region.
Do not lose hope. We are the ones on the right side of history and this fight is not over. Our lawsuit is still moving forward. Do NOT give up, do NOT lose hope. We love you all.
The news we all expected is here:
TxDOT has just announced its final plans for I-35 Central (US 290 to Ben White). It's pretty much the expansion binge they've always talked about.
Look for yourself: .
Rethink35 will share our response soon...
Yesterday's Statesman headline was another milestone in the fight to stop
@TxDOT
's misguided I-35 expansion plans.
This headline happened because of huge public outcry from YOU and others. Thank you and let's keep going!
I know everyone on my feed is talking about it, but it’s just awesome to see our biggest local paper putting this on the front page above the fold.
Kudos to
@rethink35
for the outstanding work to get here 🙏
TWO people out of 108 support I-35 expansion. 🧐
????
This is a slide from the August Texas Transportation Commission showing public comments on their 10 year Unified Transportation Program plan.
Crazy that TxDOT didn't try to cook those numbers a bit. 😂
This. Is. Incredible.
@TravisCoJudge
Andy Brown & Bexar County
@JudgePeterSakai
are openly touting rail between Austin and San Antonio and beyond.
And they're openly questioning I-35 as a regional mobility solution.
Leaders and the community are united on this! Let's push on!
How great would it be to take a train to see the
@Spurs
instead of driving on I-35?
Great panel with
@JudgePeterSakai
at the first annual 2023 Catalyst Summit by Austin Area Research Organization to talk about the future of our Super-Region!
It gets worse and worse. Now, TxDOT intends to block access for several years to the Butler Hike and Bike Trail to create a staging area for its equipment. 🤬
I-35 expansion construction alone would be a nightmare, let alone the dystopian end result. This must be stopped.
TxDOT plans to SEIZE 1.2 ACRES of Waller Beach Park at Lady Bird Lake and use the land as a construction staging area for at least six years. This will require a detour of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail.
Look at this incredible speaker list for the Nov 5
#WiderWontWork
rally!!! 😆
We're so excited to welcome these amazing folks to the stage. Let's pack the house and show them our support!
The big announcement is finally here...
We're suing TxDOT over its proposed I-35 expansion!! 😆🎉😆
The lawsuit over the I-35 Cap Ex Central Project will be filed by the end of the week. Then, we will share more about our arguments & diverse co-plaintiff coalition.
Get ready!
SO ACTUALLY BUILDING MORE HIGHWAY LANES MAKES TRAFFIC WORSE AND DOESN’T ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF CONGESTION AND WE JUST WANT AUSTIN LEADERS TO PUBLICLY OPPOSE THE I-35 EXPANSION PLANS AND TELL TXDOT TO STUDY OTHER ALTERNATIVES.
Five Dallas Council Members have called for a study of removing I-345!!😆
Freeway removal is catching on in Texas. Will Austin City Council stand there or jump on board with I-35?
A victory for freeway fighters in Ann Arbor: "A major U.S. 23 overhaul project in the works for Ann Arbor’s east side won’t include a freeway expansion ... The change comes after a wave of resistance to widening the highway."
Colorado's DOT has backed off expanding I-25 through Denver and is looking at improving public transportation options instead. 😆
“People are starting to understand that these highways are really city killers.”
GREAT NEWS!
We're excited and honored to welcome Congressman
@GregCasar
as a speaker at the November 5th "Wider Won't Work" rally against I-35 expansion.
Many more speakers to be announced soon!
RSVP here:
"Widening I-35 is a planet-killing, people-displacing, traffic-worsening dumb idea."
Chas Moore from
@ATXJustice
Coalition cuts through with this razor sharp statement at the November 5th Wider Won't Work rally against I-35 expansion.
(CC:
@DowntownATXInfo
@AustinChamber
)
TxDOT's knives come out.🔪
Sorry, TxDOT, but:
- You've never entertained the possibility of anything other than a highway expansion. That's not good faith.
- Don't even try to sell this as a climate-friendly project.
In a news release, TxDOT pushes back on City Council's "disappointing" vote earlier today.
Quote from District Engineer Tucker Ferguson alongside a list of changes to I-35 expansion that were made working with Austin/other entities so far:
75% of all public comments in
@TxDOT
's FEIS for I-35 expansion were opposed. Not surprising, but it is damning.
AND: 16% of comments supported regional rail. But TxDOT refuses to listen.
We're proud to have co-authored this analysis with
@RestartLSRD
Rethink35 is thrilled to join RESTART Lone Star Rail District!
We've heard countless calls for statewide rail, particularly between Austin and San Antonio, and are excited to support this effort.
And looking forward to welcoming RLSRD to Wednesday's I-35 press conference!
🤔 Here’s a puzzle:
TxDOT says we can’t convert I-35 into a transit friendly boulevard, because it’s not possible to push interstate traffic onto city streets
They also say I-35 traffic can’t be rerouted to surrounding highways because over 80% of it is local
Which is it?
STUNNING news from yesterday!
City of Austin Mobility Committee (a subset of City Council) to
@txdot
:
The proposed greenhouse gas emissions from I-35 expansion is "UNACCEPTABLE."
Very interesting framing here, as they note "Nineteen of the top 100 most congested roadway segments in the state are along the I-35 corridor, and TxDOT has been working to address those issues".
See next tweet....
"Why are we expanding I-35? We should be investing in transit."
Yet another public official has come out against I-35 expansion!
Thank you to State Rep. Gina Hinojosa
@GinaForAustin
for making this STUNNING comment about I-35 last weekend!
Alternate History Time 🧵
Building I-35 through Austin put a scar on the city’s fabric. In 1962, TxDOT (then known as the “Texas Highway Department”) unveiled an abmitious plan to build even more freeways.
Here’s what Austin may have looked like in that alternate timeline:
“This is the same plan that has received public backlash for so long. TxDOT hasn’t listened.”
Here's our press release responding to today's TxDOT I-35 Record Of Decision.
We're holding a press conference next Wednesday at 10am. More details TBA!
TxDOT is really tying themselves into knots here 😂
Check out these diagrams. The blue lines are shared use footpaths
Trying to figure out how pedestrians, cyclists, dog walkers, stroller pushers, and anyone who isnt driving will be able to navigate the city will make you dizzy
⚠️BREAKING NEWS⚠️
61% of Austin City Council candidates* OPPOSE I-35 expansion and support a study into alternatives.
(*Based on all known statements on I-35 from candidates, representing 31 out of 34 candidates.)
This *classic* City Hall public comment about I-35 expansion from earlier this year from Greg Anderson
@WalkableAustin
is a must-see. 😂
Keep watching to the end!
Here's bleak footage of TxDOT's destructive, pointless, unpopular, and costly
@OakHillParkway
project under construction in west Austin.
Projects like this - including I-35 expansion - should be a 20th century relic. Let's make sure, moving forward, they are.
Our membership includes people in the suburbs of Austin who understand induced demand and want different transportation options to get into the city, and/or affordable housing options in the city.
When suburbanites know the facts, they don’t want expansion either.
A 22-member board representing the suburbs and city of Austin voted to expand I-35, a project that will take a decade and further split downtown Austin. Every single member representing Austin voted against the expansion, yet they have no choice. Absolutely insane.
Did you know TXDOT's I-35 expansion plan will increase number of vehicles on I-35 in Austin by 149%?
For Earth Day, tell CAMPO (the local board that allocates funding) to NOT fund I-35 expansion in their vote next month!!
Happy Earth Day! 🌎 Did you know TxDOT uses recycled crushed concrete in pavement? Check out this project to see how TxDOT and UT researchers are improving sustainability by using more recycled material.
#EarthDay
When Katy Freeway was expanded to 26 lanes, peak traffic times worsened by 40%.
There is no reason to expect anything different from I-35 expansion in Austin.
Alternatives are necessary to move people more efficiently, and TXDOT does not entertain that. This is why we fight.
SOUTH AUSTIN COMMUTE 🚘: I’m interviewing commuters in Kyle/South Austin today about the chronic gridlock and dreadful drive times in Bluff Springs on I-35 NB and SB coming home. Some people tell me they’ve sought out work from home jobs because of it. Coming soon on
@KVUE
.
History has been made:
We officially re-filed our Civil Rights Complaint against TxDOT last night.
Over 400 individuals and over 30 organizations signed on to tell
@USDOT
that TxDOT's plan doubles down on discrimination rather than addressing its past.
Despite public outcry, TxDOT's plan is a HUGE, environmentally destructive highway expansion cutting through Austin.
We can fight this, but our State legislators, County Judge, and County Commissioners MUST speak up to force TxDOT and the Federal government to listen.
We're thrilled at the huge success of yesterday's "Wider Won't Work" I-35 press conference!
Thank you to all our wonderful speakers and organizers who made this event possible.
Enjoy these mementos. These include our speakers
@NatashaD1atx
,
@CMZoQadri
, and
@juliamontgomery
We're truly grateful to US Congressman
@GregCasar
and our Council Members
@joseforatx
and
@CMZoQadri
and Mayor Pro Tem
@paige
for joining yesterday's Wider Won't Work rally.
Let's get this photo soon with the rest of our Council Members and Congressional representatives!
TxDOT to Austin: "The side-effects of our highway is your problem."
@TxDOT
's indifference toward the community is on full show here in this dialogue between
@VanessaForATX
& a TxDOT rep about funding for even as mild a measure as highway caps.
Our leaders are pushing back! 😆
The City of Austin created a vision board for what Austinites want to see on the caps that would cover TxDOT’s 20-lane expansion.
It didn’t go as planned…
Rampant destruction of nature, hundreds of of old oak trees lost, and a colossal waste of taxpayer funds.
These recent photos from
@TxDOT
's Oak Hill Parkway project show the devastation this project is already causing. We must not let I-35 be next.
The moral clarity and outspokenness of young people against I-35 expansion is incredible.
And to their elders who are actively working (or standing by) to trash these young people's future: Stop. Let's rethink this.
Austin Mayor Pro Tem
@PaigeForAustin
has just made a STRONG statement against I-35 expansion! 😆
"This... will move us further away from our community’s goals related to climate change, road safety, mobility, and public transit."
Her full statement:
TxDOT style boulevard:
*Wide 6-lane street
*Signed for 35 mph but drivers will always exceed that
*No dedicated bus lanes
*No dedicated cycling lanes
*Trees? Shade?
WOW!! 😲
At Monday's CAMPO meeting, Austin Council Members
@NatashaD1atx
,
@VanessaForATX
, and
@PaigeForAustin
REFUSED to vote for more I-35 expansion funding. 😆
This is yet more push back from Council, telling
@TxDOT
I-35 expansion stinks.
Correcting TxDOT's propaganda in this report:
1. Traffic on I-35 has not risen for decades
2. Even if it had, expanding I-35 won't address congestion, it'll just encourage driving until congestion is as bad or worse than before.
We know there's a lot going on with I-45 in Houston right now, so Rethink35 is sending ❤️ and solidarity to our dear friends at
@StopTxDOTi45
. 🤗
We are one movement. Let's keep going!
Thank you
@rethink35
for the successful rally against I-35 highway expansion in Austin. Our President
@Brian_RR_Pena
spoke today and advocated for a greener, more sustainable future for students. We stand with Rethink and oppose the highway expansion in Austin.
Slapping a couple parks on top of a $5 billion highway expansion is a pointless gesture that will cost Austin even more money.
We should be focused on removing I-35, rerouting Interstate traffic around the city, and using the current highway acreage more productively.
"This is not good enough. This is still fundamentally a major highway expansion in an era of climate change," says Adam Greenfield with Re-Think 35. READ MORE:
BIG NEWS!
The SART Board of Directors has voted to endorse Restart Lone Star Rail District.
@RestartLSRD
is a grassroots advocacy group with the mission to establish a fast, frequent, and reliable passenger rail service in Central Texas.
Rethink35 board member
@kelseyhuse30
reads an excerpt from
@megankimble
‘s new book “City Limits” to the Texas Transportation Commission in hopes of them reading this stellar new book.
I-35 is more than a road. It's been sculpting Austin's housing scene for more than 60 years, encouraging endless expansion and making gridlock a lifestyle.
Rochester NY: Inner Loop removal:
- Walking rose by 50% & biking by 60% in the area
- Reclaimed 6.5 acres of land
- $22m highway removal yielded $229m in investment
“Why on earth are we spending billions of dollars on encouraging people to take public transportation while also spending billions of dollars on encouraging more people to drive?” - Adam Greenfield, Rethink35
"Rightsizing of I-35 through downtown Duluth [could]... infuse [up to more than] $4.5 BILLION to Duluth’s economy."
Imagine the economic benefits of something similar in Austin??
We were deeply moved by the high school students who spoke passionately at Austin City Council last week against I-35 expansion.
Thank you high schooler Jenna for your wonderful speech!
🏃♀️Action alert!🏃🏽♂️ TODAY, email Austin City Council to urge them to approve a study routing interstate facilities AROUND Austin, not THROUGH it.
It takes just a minute to send your message. Click here...
On Thursday (2/23), Austin City Council is voting on the first-ever resolution outlining their concerns with TxDOT’s I-35 expansion plan. That’s good news - and a sign that our movement is getting stronger.
"I-35 is putting the health of children, seniors, and other vulnerable groups in our city at risk. We need to do everything in our power to address and mitigate those disparities, not worsen them."
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this morning's press conference outside TxDOT's headquarters in Austin to announce the I-35 lawsuit against TxDOT and the Civil Rights complaint to the federal government!
Kudos and big thanks to the event's wonderful MC
@MisaelD1Ramos
! 😀
Meet the Texas Transportation Commission! Made up of Governor-appointed board members, they control the spending for all of Texas’ transportation projects.
Learn more about the board members’ backgrounds and ponder their recent approval of $85 billion for highway expansions!