Three Austin-based advocacy groups sue TxDOT over I-35 expansion through Central Texas

Three Austin-based advocacy groups are suing the Texas Department of Transportation over plans to expand 28 miles of Interstate 35 through Central Texas, claiming that the agency improperly split the project into three parts and has failed to properly study its overall impact.

Rethink35, Texas Public Interest Research Group and Environment Texas filed the lawsuit, which asks the court to require TxDOT to reassess the entire project, consider its environmental impact and present meaningful alternatives to the current proposal.

TxDOT’s current plan — which calls for expanding 28 miles of I-35 from the south end of Round Rock to just north of Buda — has been in the works for years, with funding approved for parts of the project in 2019.

Adam Greenfield, executive director of Rethink35, said his group's position is that the project can't legally be split into north, central and south segments because all three are connected as part of a larger single project.

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2022/06/29/austin-advocacy-groups-sue-txdot-i-35-expansion-traffic-congestion/7757674001/