A lawsuit is our only hope
A last-ditch effort to halt a useless highway expansion.
Yesterday Rethink35 announced a new lawsuit aimed at stopping the central portion of the I-35 expansion through Austin. From KUT:
The group of 16 plaintiffs ... argues that TxDOT turned a blind eye to the environmental injustices of the project, failed to explore less disruptive alternatives and glossed over the effects on air and water quality.
The legal complaint also zeroes in on TxDOT’s plans for seizing land on the shores of Lady Bird Lake. A 1.2-acre chunk of Waller Beach Park will be used as a construction staging area, then a TxDOT maintenance base. Federal law requires the parkland be replaced, and TxDOT has been working with the city in the hunt for suitable land.
One thing that struck me looking at the photo of the Rethink press conference is how few of those behind the podium hail from the urbanist/YIMBY movement in which Rethink was born. The organization has done a very good job of recruiting supporters who are not typically aligned with urbanists.
The man at the podium, for instance, Misael Ramos, ran for Council in 2022 against Natasha Harper-Madison and was recently at City Hall to oppose the HOME initiative. To his left is longtime anti-growth activist Susana Almanza. I also see Save Our Springs' Bobby Levinski and, last but not least, mayoral candidate Kathie Tovo.
