This is photo is just after the area heading south on I-35 where there Interstate breaks in half forming two 2-lane routes. You have to really stay aware of the traffic flow and signage as you drive in Austin Texas. Austin is NOT the place to chat on the phone or worse text while driving. There are many locals who do everything they can to avoid having to drive on Interstate35 in either direction. I-35 is the main interstate going north to Waco then Dallas and south to San Antonio.
The IH-35 gridlock in Austin, Texas is one of the most notorious traffic jams in the country. It is a daily commute to nowhere, as drivers can expect to spend hours sitting in traffic, barely moving.
A Brilliant Mind!
It is not uncommon to be “stuck” in traffic for hours! In this image I was trying to get from the Round Rock area down to South Austin For some reason even with NO accidents it can literally take hours to travel 30 miles. Prepare to go really slooooow if you are on the Interstate during the afternoon or rush hour or basically any time. It really is just that bad. Having driven in Rush Hour in Seattle, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City I would rate Austins Traffic right up there with the very worst. It is absolutely miserable.
Does the City of Austin have a Traffic Plan for the Future
Of course they do. Will it work? Probably not. The Traffic Flows North and South mostly. The only option would be to widen the Interstate. How many $Billions$ would that cost? Wider streets will not solve the problem because people still need to enter and exit and there are too many access points to make it work. The bigger problem is the “feeder” streets that Austin refers to as “Frontage Roads”. If you drive with Android Navigation be prepared to be told to exit onto a frontage road at the most in opportune times.
The traffic problem just doesn’t lend itself to a solution. If there is actual water available (Who knows that situation either) in the future Austin is projected to be bigger than San Antonio by 2050 (Maybe Sooner).
Bottom line is to just prepare yourself for the miserable reality that Austin Traffic SUCKS SO BAD and it WILL get worse. If you are an Urban Planner by all means please come to Austin and fix this disaster. Also Public Transportation also sucks. It is what it is. Welcome to Austin!
