Roads

An aerial view of the end of Main Street in Hays County. To the left and in the distance is undeveloped ranch land. To the right of the road is a large development of single-family homes that includes a small lack. A water tower with a sunflower painted on it rests among the houses.

Travis County asks: How should we spend $450 million on roads and parks?

Nathan Bernier

Low turnout at public meetings on the largest potential bond package in county history have frustrated panel members trying to figure out what people want.

Fallen branches coated in ice block a sidewalk, bike path and car lane.

Energy & Environment

Ice-covered trees fell on Austin roads. The city doesn’t want your help clearing them.

Nathan Bernier

The city is asking people to call 311 instead of removing debris on the public right-of-way.

Cars driving at night down North Lamar Boulevard passing by the Shoal Creek Saloon. Vehicle headlights are shining towards us. The lane lines are difficult to see.

Transportation

Why is it so hard to see lines on Austin roads at night?

Nathan Bernier

Your grip on the steering wheel tightens as you squint to find the road markings and avoid smashing into another car.

Two orange dump trucks are driving down a residential street toward the camera. The street's surface is partially covered in gravel. On the right side of the image are two diamond-shaped orange signs, each about three feet long. One is a temporary sign saying, "Loose gravel." The other sign is permanently affixed to a utility pole and reads, "No Outlet."

Transportation

Why does the city 'repair' streets by covering them in gravel?

Nathan Bernier

Austin's hot, dry summer creates ideal conditions for hardening fresh asphalt. So the Public Works Department toils through the sweltering heat to resurface as many miles of roads as possible then.

Transportation

Austin Unveils New Guide For The Future Of Street Design

Syeda Hasan

Austin is in the process of adopting several plans that will guide the future of development and transportation in the region. The city revealed a new…

Transportation

Have a Message for Your Fellow Austin Drivers? You Can Help Program These Signs

Andrew Weber

Austin’s got a checkered past when it comes to digital road signs. The blinking roadway signs have been hacked a few times in the past to warn of zombies,…

Transportation

More Rain Means More Potholes on Austin Streets

The drenching rains that have fallen on Austin this year have provided sizable benefits: Reservoirs are recovering, lawns are green, and this summer will…

Texas

Legislature Considering Changes To Texas Driver Responsibility Program

Ryan Poppe

The Texas House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety is considering legislation for the 2015 session that would completely revamp the Texas...

Transportation

An 11,000-Mile Trip, a 1949 Car, and One Big Point About U.S. Infrastructure

Reynaldo Leanos

Can you compare a 1949 Hudson car to America’s aging infrastructure?Best-selling author and award-winning journalist Dan McNichol thinks so – and says…

The White House has warned that without more money for the federal Highway Trust Fund, which helps states pay for road and infrastructure projects, construction delays will put thousands out of work.

Transportation

Federal Highway Program Could Run Out Of Money Next Month

Alan Greenblatt

The Highway Trust Fund has been short billions for years. Without more money, the White House says construction delays will put people out of work, but Congress can't agree on a fix.