What a Rail Study, a Highway Expansion, and a Five-Day Shutdown Say About How We’ll Get Around
If you drive, ride, or just try to get across town in Central Texas, the last few weeks have delivered three pieces of news that, on the surface, look unrelated.
Travis County released a feasibility study on high-speed rail between Austin and San Antonio. TxDOT is pushing forward with a major widening of I-35 between Round Rock and Georgetown. And CapMetro is about to pause Red Line service for five days to build a new station near the Domain.
Put side by side, though, these three stories are really one story: a fast-growing region trying to figure out, all at once, whether its future runs on more pavement, more rail, or both.
The traffic problem no one disputes
Start with the numbers nobody argues about.
TxDOT is proposing an expansion of I-35 between Round Rock and Georgetown to address rising crash rates and significant population growth.
Between 2021 and 2026, TxDOT recorded 4,114 crashes on the I-35 main lanes between Round Rock and Georgetown and 4,139 on the service road, with 31 deaths — crash rates 28% above the statewide average.
Meanwhile, Williamson County’s population is expected to double to 1.6 million people by 2050, and regional planners project that by 2045, 53% of the population between San Antonio and Austin will live within five miles of I-35.
That’s the backdrop against which all three of this month’s stories are unfolding.
Story 1: TxDOT’s I-35 widening, Round Rock to Georgetown
TxDOT’s plan targets the 15-mile stretch from SH 29/University Avenue in Georgetown to SH 45 North in Round Rock (some agency materials describe it as a 13-mile segment). The centerpiece is two new high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in each direction between SH-45 North in Round Rock and SH-29 in Georgetown, plus a new general-purpose lane. The project would also add flyovers at I-35 and SH 45 North, along with relocated and modified entrance and exit ramps, reconstructed bridges and cross-street intersections, new bypass lanes, and shared-use paths through the corridor.
It isn’t a quick fix.
The project is still working through environmental review, including a look at the caves and karst features underneath I-35 in Georgetown that were first discovered by construction crews back in 1963. Completion is projected for late 2029, with the usual multi-year run of lane closures and shifting traffic patterns.
This segment is part of TxDOT’s broader Mobility35 program, which is transforming 79 miles of I-35 through Williamson, Travis, and Hays counties — the same program responsible for the ongoing Capital Express projects through Austin, where crews are even digging 6.5 miles of 22-foot-wide drainage tunnels beneath the city’s busiest highway as part of lowering sections of I-35 below street level downtown.
Story 2: A feasibility study puts Austin-San Antonio rail back on the table
While TxDOT plans more lanes, Travis County has spent the last year testing whether a train could take pressure off those same lanes.
A Travis County-funded feasibility study found no engineering dealbreakers for a 125 mph passenger rail line connecting Austin and San Antonio, according to an announcement from Travis County Judge Andy Brown yesterday.
The roughly $13.5 billion project would run largely on public right-of-way along SH 130 and I-10, cutting travel time between the two cities to 55–65 minutes.
The route is notable for what it avoids: rather than following I-35 directly, the alternate route would span about 90 miles — roughly 15 miles longer than I-35 — because it arcs east along Texas 130 and I-10 instead of the direct interstate corridor, largely to sidestep the land-acquisition fights that have sunk past Texas rail proposals.
The line would connect Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to a terminus near downtown San Antonio’s Alamodome, with connectivity to the existing San Antonio Amtrak station, running independently of freight traffic.
The engineering firm behind the study, HNTB, said the 62-page feasibility analysis hasn’t yet found any engineering flaws that could prevent the project. That’s a meaningfully different milestone than a green light, though — as Judge Brown put it, framing the urgency in terms Central Texas drivers know well:
“We’re not going to be able to build our way using highways out of the connection problem that we have with San Antonio, and so this would allow another option.”
It’s also not the first time Texas has tried this.
In the early 1990s, the Lone Star Rail District proposed a commuter line using existing Union Pacific freight tracks, an effort that ultimately stalled, and a separate privately backed high-speed rail effort between Dallas and Houston was scrapped in 2022 amid an eminent-domain dispute before Amtrak revived it. That history is a big part of why this study leans so heavily on highway right-of-way instead of buying new land — it’s the approach most likely to survive the political and legal gauntlet that has killed Texas rail plans before.
Story 3: CapMetro’s upcoming Red Line pause — small in scale, telling in purpose
The third story is the smallest in scope but points at where transit is headed locally.
CapMetro will pause its Red Line rail service from August 24 through August 27 for “critical track work” ahead of a new station near the Domain. Crews will use the closure to complete track work, railroad crossings, signals, safety testing, and other improvements for the future station, with construction beginning August 23 after service concludes for the day.
The new station matters more than a five-day inconvenience suggests: the North Burnet/Uptown Station will sit between the Red Line’s Kramer and Howard stations, and CapMetro expects it to become the system’s second-busiest stop after Downtown Station.
It’s a reminder that even as the region debates billion-dollar highway and rail megaprojects, CapMetro is incrementally building out the existing Red Line — alongside its long-term Project Connect plans, including a planned Blue Line light rail connecting the airport to downtown Austin, targeted for revenue service as early as 2029.
Tying it together
Line these three stories up and a pattern emerges:
- The problem is shared. Every project — the I-35 widening, the rail feasibility study, and CapMetro’s station build-out — is a direct response to the same regional growth curve and the same congestion on the same corridor.
- The timelines don’t match. CapMetro’s closure will last five days. The I-35 widening is a multi-year construction project running into 2029. The Austin-San Antonio rail line, even in the most optimistic reading, is a project measured in years of funding, engineering, and construction still to come after this study.
- The philosophies compete, but they’re not mutually exclusive. TxDOT’s widening bets that more highway capacity is what the region needs now. The rail feasibility study bets that Central Texas can’t pave its way out of the problem and needs an alternative before I-35 construction even wraps up — Judge Brown has said he’d like to see rail underway “before I-35 construction is finished.” CapMetro’s incremental Red Line investment shows the region is also trying to make its existing transit more useful in the meantime, one station at a time.
None of these projects alone will fix Central Texas traffic. But together they show a region hedging its bets — widening the highway that carries the most traffic today, studying the rail line that might carry tomorrow’s traffic, and quietly building out the transit system that already exists. Whether that combination adds up to real relief will depend less on any single project and more on whether they all actually get built on anything close to schedule.
Sources:
- Study shows Austin-San Antonio rail could hit 125 mph — Community Impact
- Firm says Austin-San Antonio passenger rail line viable, for $13.5 billion — KXAN
- Austin-San Antonio passenger rail: Travis County approves study — Austin American-Statesman
- Travis County approves study on passenger rail between Austin and San Antonio — Austin Monitor
- Lawmakers push San Antonio-Austin high-speed rail — Texas Public Radio
- Travis County invests in high-speed rail study between Austin, San Antonio — CBS Austin
- I-35 expansion in Williamson County faces environmental hurdles — KXAN
- I-35 Expansion Project Connects Georgetown to Round Rock — Round Rock Scoop
- I-35 Expansion in Williamson County Kicked Off Public Input Process — Barron Adler Clough & Oddo
- Are two new HOV lanes coming to I-35 near Georgetown? — KXAN
- MyMobility35 — TxDOT
- I-35 construction updates, Georgetown development… — Community Impact
- CapMetro to briefly pause rail service at end of August — KXAN
- Blue Line (CapMetro) — Wikipedia
Data current as of August 21, 2026. Project timelines, costs, and scopes for proposed and in-design projects are subject to change as environmental review, funding, and public input processes continue.
The northbound I-35 main lanes between Rundberg Lane and Braker Lane will be closed nightly this weekend, August 21 and August 22 from 11 p.m. to 10 a.m., for paving work.
TxDOT is reporting progress on the SH 71 at Tucker Hill Lane project in Bastrop.
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle last night on a ramp to northbound Bastrop on East SH 71 westbound.
No suspect was taken into custody Thursday morning following an Austin Police Department SWAT response to a barricaded subject at a north Austin hotel.
APD first alerted the public to the ongoing SWAT incident around 7:15 a.m. at a Super 8 hotel located on the southbound Interstate 35 service road near Wonsley Drive.
Austin police are looking for a shoplifting suspect involved in an auto theft two weeks ago. (Austin Police Department)
A Travis County jury has convicted 36-year-old Samuel Ramirez of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 14, sentencing him to 25 years in prison. The Austin Police Department originally arrested Ramirez in February 2023 following an investigation into allegations involving two victims under age 14. (CBS Austin)
Round Rock authorities shut down a suspected illegal gambling operation last week following a nearly 10-month investigation.
The Elgin Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance with an animal cruelty investigation.
A New Braunfels man was found guilty of selling and smuggling firearm parts into Mexico and laundering money from the sales. (New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung)
Gang activity in Austin is trending younger and more violent. It is leading to more serious consequences, including shootings, weapon-related offenses and assaults, with more juveniles facing felony charges.
A Travis County resident has tested positive for West Nile virus, marking the county’s first human case of 2026. The case comes amid an active mosquito season in Central Texas spurred by warm and wet weather conditions. (KUT 90.5)
While there are no large-scale AI data centers in Austin, the City Council is scheduled to debate and vote on a resolution next Thursday aimed at creating new regulations ahead of one arriving. (Austin Current)
Marc Duchen represents District 10.
In Manor, there has been confusion over an alleged planned data center there. Local officials were quick to clear things up.
Pacifico Energy plans to build two data centers and a supporting natural gas power plant on approximately 2,842 acres of land in Cedar Creek in Bastrop County. Following public outcry, the company officially withdrew its Chapter 312 tax abatement applications. The company now states it will pay its property taxes in full, which is estimated to be around $20 million annually.
Just days before starting kindergarten, five-year-old Liam Tadeo and his father were detained by federal agents during an August 17 traffic stop in Austin while traveling to a soccer game, according to family members and Spanish-language media. The pair has since been transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley.
Despite facing potential state intervention due to multi-year unacceptable ratings at two middle schools, Austin ISD is touting its ‘B’ rating from the Texas Education Agency, its highest district rating in four years.
The district’s superintendent Matias Segura sat down with CBS Austin:
Lake Austin will undergo its first drawdown since 2017 from October 12 to November 30, at the request of the City of Austin and carried out by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA).
THIS WEEKEND IN THE ATX
A 23-acre Ranch Hill wildfire in Blanco County was reported at 95% containment this morning.
One other fire of note this morning in Montague County.
WEATHER
THURSDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Gary Grief, the former longtime executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission, faces a first-degree felony charge of abuse of official capacity over the April 2023 Lotto Texas drawing. The commission itself — an agency that no longer exists — has also been indicted on the same charge. (Texas Standard)
Texas hemp supporters say they welcome regulation, but fear new state rules could force businesses and products out of the state.
The first case of rabies in a dog in Bexar County in over a decade has been confirmed. (Texas Public Radio)
With early voting about two months away, Rep. James Talarico has had TV nearly to himself, outspending his Republican rival Ken Paxton by more than 200-to-1 on advertising as GOP groups weigh when — or whether — to get involved. (Texas Tribune)
A look at public opinion data from rural Texas to assess how big a problem Republicans have among rural voters.
(Episode from August 20, 2026)
Aalo Atomics confirmed on Thursday that it has abandoned plans for a testing site near McMahan. The company halted construction after being informed it must first secure a commercial water well permit from the Plum Creek Conservation District and a septic permit from Caldwell County.
A Lufkin police officer was arrested by Texas Rangers Thursday morning on two felony charges stemming from an investigation into the potential misuse of the department’s Flock Automated License Plate Reader system, leading the department to disable all Flock cameras within the Lufkin area.
Attorneys for Karmelo Anthony want his murder conviction thrown out, arguing his constitutional rights were violated.
Oh, poop.
SPORTS
MLS: Austin FC is changing the start time for Saturday’s match against Philadelphia because of the heat. All tickets purchased for the match remain valid. (Austin FC)
NFL PRESEASON: Top draft pick Fernando Mendoza struggled in his second preseason game, throwing an interception that Houston returned for a touchdown before the Las Vegas Raiders rallied late for a 22-20 victory over the Texans on Thursday night. The Texans are 0-2 in the preseason. (Associated Press via MSN)
ON THE SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 – PRESEASON GAME 3
The Dallas Cowboys continue preparation for their preseason game tomorrow night in Arizona.
MLB: The Texas Rangers didn’t need much offense Thursday night, riding another strong pitching effort to a 2-0 shutout of Washington that shaved a game off Houston’s division cushion. The Astros, meanwhile, had no such luck in Anaheim — the Angels put on a batting clinic in an 18-3 rout that left Houston’s lineup searching for answers. It’s a race defined less by dominance than by attrition, and for one night at least, Texas came out looking like the team least interested in giving it away.
Jacob deGrom struck out 10 and allowed one hit and one walk in six innings while reaching 2,000 career strikeouts in the second-fewest games and innings in major league history as the Texas Rangers beat the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Thursday night. (Associated Press via MSN)
Zach Neto was 5-for-6 with his 21st homer and a career-high seven RBIs and the Los Angeles Angels scored their most runs in three years to rout the Houston Astros 18-3 on Thursday night. (Associated Press via MSN)
ON THE SCHEDULE
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Astros | 64 | 64 |
| 2 | Texas Rangers | 63 | 65 |
| 3 | Seattle Mariners | 60 | 68 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Angels | 51 | 77 |
| 5 | Athletics | 49 | 79 |
It’s a tight race at the top — the Astros and Rangers are separated by just 1.5 games, with Seattle still lurking a few back. The Angels and A’s have fallen well off the pace.
15 DAYS UNTIL TEXAS FOOTBALL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Georgia and Texas dominate SEC title predictions, but can Brent Venables’ Oklahoma or Lane Kiffin’s LSU crash the Atlanta party?
Keeping with the sports theme, ABC’s Good Morning America celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Houston Texans gaining an expansion team after the loss of the Oilers several years earlier.
