The blaring of car horns, the lull of cars moving at the slowest rate possible. Swearing, frustration, and making excuses as to why you’re late. This is Austin traffic, something all its residents have experienced at one time or another.
Austin’s growing traffic epidemic is the root of countless problems. This traffic is caused by extensive construction going on in multiple parts of Austin, from high rises to the freeways themselves. The ongoing construction interferes with many people’s commutes, to the point where a drive that would normally be 15 minutes might wind up taking 45 minutes. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) employee Chris Bishop sympathizes with commuters, but believes not much can be done to improve the traffic.
“1,000 people move to Texas each day,” Bishop said. “Some move [to Austin]. That puts more demand on the highways. We do what we can.”
LASA students, like freshman Jocelyn Lee, see this problem firsthand on U.S. Highway 183, one of the main highways used to get to LASA. At the moment, U.S. Highway 183 is under construction and has been for some time, which makes getting to LASA harder for a lot of students, including Lee.
“Traffic is mostly condensed around the LASA area,” Lee said. “Going to school takes me about 20 minutes. I live 10 minutes away.”
Once construction is completed, U.S. Highway 183 will be a tolled expressway. Bishop believes that even though this construction project has taken more than 3 years, the end result will be worth it and will save the commuter’s time.
“Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is expanding U.S. 183 to be a tolled expressway,” Bishop said. “It will be better than what is there now.”
Even when the U.S. Highway 183 project is fully completed, Bishop said that commuters will still have to deal with some traffic on the highway. Despite construction projects around town that aim to mitigate the effects of traffic, congestion is inevitable.
“This is going to succeed in providing alternatives,” Bishop said. “On 183, you’re never going to get to drive 70 miles an hour during rush hour. People are going to have to make some adjustments.”
