Naked City

The Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization met Monday to consider whether to move forward with Texas Dept. of Transportation proposals to widen or otherwise expand the MoPac Highway (Loop 1). After hearing from West Austin residents and its own Policy Advisory Committee, CAMPO returned the matter to a special committee for further review. As reported in In Fact Daily, the special committee will seek additional input on the highway plans from people in South Austin and southern Travis County and propose a structure for a "consensus committee" to continue citizen input on the project as it proceeds.

The special committee will make recommendations for CAMPO at its next meeting (Dec. 10), when the organization is also scheduled to consider a resolution calling for delaying completion of SH 45 South (between FM 1626 and I-35) until after the eventual construction of SH 130 (the proposed I-35 bypass). Opponents say that without SH 130, SH 45 would turn MoPac into a de facto I-35 bypass, but Hays County interests (e.g., developer Gary Bradley) say the road is necessary to alleviate growing traffic to new subdivisions in northern Hays Co.