The I-35 caps get pricier

KXAN's Grace Reader breaks the bad news:

The city of Austin is still waiting to see if it will have $105 million to build a key “cap” over the Texas Department of Transportation’s I-35 expansion project, but an announcement Tuesday from Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Missouri, makes that likelihood seem smaller.

According to a news release from Graves, the committee’s soon to be discussed budget reconciliation proposal “rescinds unobligated funds and eliminates seven unnecessary Green New Deal style programs created in the Inflation Reduction Act.” 

“This includes Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants…progressive priorities that are either duplicative, are projects that states and other entities may pursue if they prioritize them, or are efforts that should be driven by the industry and not mandated by the federal government,” a news release said.

In a statement to KXAN, Mayor Kirk Watson held out hope that the grant would survive the Congressional sausage-making process, but conceded that it was at risk.

To be clear, the absence of this $105M doesn't kill the caps, which Council is already prepared to spend hundreds of millions on. But it shifts even more of the burden to property taxpayers. The grant was supposed to help pay for what everybody seemed to agree was the most compelling cap: between Cesar Chavez & 4th St.

My guess is that even if the federal money disappears, City Council will want to spend the dollars on the downtown caps (Cesar to 4th & 11th/12th St). But the more money it now takes to build the downtown caps, the less appetite there may be for coming up with funds to pay for the northern caps.

Natasha Harper-Madison wants "IFC reform"

Two weeks ago CM Natasha Harper-Madison authored a lengthy missive on the Council message board titled, "Strengthening Council Direction Through Smart IFC Reform."