Downtown Austin Mobility Planning

Austin Core Transportation Plan

The Austin Core Transportation Plan (ACT Plan) is the long-range framework for improving transportation and mobility in and around Downtown Austin. It builds on the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan and integrates major upcoming changes such as I-35 Capital Express Central and Project Connect.

Small Area Mobility Plan
Downtown Austin Focus
Public Hearing: March 26, 2026

Why this plan matters

Downtown Austin is the region’s economic and cultural center, with growing pressure on streets, sidewalks, transit, bicycle facilities, and curb space. The ACT Plan responds to increased demand, emerging transportation options, major infrastructure changes, and citywide safety and climate goals.

The plan’s goal is to create a cohesive, adaptable transportation framework that addresses the unique mobility challenges of downtown, integrates major infrastructure projects, and supports safer, more sustainable travel choices.
50/50 Mode share target for non-drive-alone trips by 2039
4 Priority corridor projects
5 Supporting project areas
75+ Public events and meetings held during engagement

Key challenges

The ACT Plan highlights four major pressures shaping downtown transportation today and in the decades ahead.

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Increased demand

Downtown continues to attract residents, workers, and visitors, increasing the need for safer, more accessible, and more reliable transportation choices.

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Evolving transportation options

E-bikes, scooters, and other emerging modes are changing how short trips happen downtown, requiring streets that work safely for more than just cars.

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Major transportation improvements

I-35 reconstruction and Project Connect will reshape access and circulation, making coordination across projects essential.

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Safety, climate, and mode share

The plan supports reducing drive-alone trips, improving safety, and advancing broader Vision Zero and climate goals through better multimodal access.

Plan outcomes

Recommendations are designed to support downtown growth, improve visitor experience, and create a safer, more connected mobility network for all users.

Manage growth and increased demand

Enhance safety, accessibility, and the overall visitor experience as Downtown Austin continues to grow.

Support emerging transportation options

Adapt street design to better serve e-bikes, e-scooters, and other evolving travel modes.

Coordinate with major transportation improvements

Align downtown street planning with I-35 improvements and Project Connect for a cohesive network.

Prioritize safety, climate, and mode share goals

Reduce car dependency and expand options that are safer, more sustainable, and more equitable.

Recommended projects

The ACT Plan organizes recommendations into priority projects, supporting projects, and system improvements.

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Priority projects

  • Fifth Street
  • Sixth Street
  • Seventh Street
  • Eighth Street
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Supporting projects

  • Ninth and 10th Streets
  • 11th Street
  • 12th Street
  • Brazos Street
  • Red River Street
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System improvements and strategies

Operational and design tools that can be applied throughout downtown to improve safety, curb management, bicycle facilities, transit operations, and the pedestrian environment.

What the priority projects aim to do

Fifth Street

Improves transit speed and reliability, adds an eastbound protected bicycle and micromobility lane, expands shaded pedestrian space, and strengthens the connection to East Austin.

Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Streets

Together, these corridors help create a more complete downtown network that better balances vehicle access, transit movement, bicycle travel, micromobility, and pedestrian comfort.

Public involvement and engagement

The plan was shaped through a two-phase public engagement process that included neighborhood associations, businesses, community organizations, surveys, and in-person outreach.

Phase 1

Focused on learning which right-of-way elements mattered most to people and what travel modes they wanted to use to get to, from, and within downtown.

Phase 2

Focused on trade-offs within the limited downtown right-of-way and gathered feedback on potential street design options.

Who was engaged

Outreach included downtown residents, workers, business owners, visitors, service industry workers, seniors, people with disabilities, delivery and ride-hail drivers, musicians, and others.

Implementation and next steps

The ACT Plan pairs long-range vision with phased implementation, funding coordination, and near-term action.

Near-term actions

  • Identify funding and implementation barriers.
  • Coordinate phasing with Project Connect and I-35 Capital Express Central.
  • Integrate ACT Plan projects with the Great Streets update.
  • Advance quick wins and complementary mobility improvements.

Illustrative implementation scenarios

  • Single-contract scenario: estimated base year cost of $713 million.
  • Priority/supporting split scenario: estimated base year cost of $749 million.
  • Individual contract scenario: estimated base year cost of $753 million.

Problem Statement

Downtown Austin is the region's central hub, drawing hundreds of thousands of residents, workers and visitors each day. Like the broader region, downtown is experiencing rapid annual growth and has been transformed by new developments, technologies and evolving uses. With major transportation improvements on the horizon, the way people access and move through downtown will be profoundly affected in the coming decades. This growth brings both opportunities and challenges as the city adapts to change while upholding its core values and mobility goals. To address these issues, the City of Austin and its partners developed the Austin Core Transportation Plan, a unified vision for downtown mobility.

 

Challenges

INCREASED DEMAND

As the 11th-most populous city in the United States, Austin's downtown is a major economic driver and a destination for visitors from across the country and around the world. Downtown areas must be safe, accessible, and welcoming — especially for those unfamiliar with the area and the most vulnerable.

EVOLVING TRANSPORTATION IDEAS

New technologies and shifting preferences are putting pressure on streets designed for older modes of transport. Electric bikes and scooters are now popular for short downtown trips. As these mobility options continue to grow in popularity, our streets must adapt to ensure safe spaces for all modes of transportation.

MAJOR TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

Improvements to I-35 and the implementation of Project Connect will permanently reshape Austin's transportation network. These changes cannot occur in isolation; the ACT Plan must integrate them into a cohesive vision for downtown's transportation future. 

SAFETY, CLIMATE, AND MODE SHARE

Like other major cities, Austin faces critical societal challenges moving forward. Safety is the top priority in transportation decisions, yet hundreds of people are killed or seriously injured on Austin's roads every year. Additionally, transportation choices impact climate change. How we travel — whether driving or choosing alternative modes — directly influences whether we meet our Vision Zero and Climate Equity Plan goals. Reducing car dependency, especially for trips to and from downtown, is essential for achieving these objectives.

 

Imagine Austin Transportation Vision

Our comprehensive plan calls for Austin to be mobile and interconnected. We envision a transportation network that is accessible and reliable, provides choices and serves the diverse needs of our community.

AUSTIN IS MOBILE AND INTERCONNECTED

Austin is accessible. Our transportation network provides a wide variety of options that are efficient, reliable and cost-effective to serve the diverse needs and capabilities of our citizens. Public and private sectors work together to improve air quality and reduce congestion in a collaborative, creative manner.

  • Interconnected development patterns support public transit and a variety of transportation choices, while reducing sprawl, congestion, travel times and negative impacts on existing neighborhoods.
  • Our integrated transportation system is well-maintained, minimizes negative impacts on natural resources and remains affordable for all users. 
  • Austin promotes safe bicycle and pedestrian access with well-designed routes that provide connectivity throughout the greater Austin region. These routes are part of our comprehensive regional transportation network.

-Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan

Austin Strategic Mobility Plan

The plan covers all modes of transportation, including walking, biking, transit and driving, and emphasizes creating a safe, efficient and accessible transportation system that accommodates everyone. 

The ASMP sets a 50/50 Mode Share Goal, aiming for 50% of all trips to be made by non-drive-alone modes, such as walking, biking, transit and shared mobility, by 2039. This goal is essential for managing congestion, improving safety and supporting a sustainable transportation system. The ACT Plan plays a crucial role in achieving this target by prioritizing safe, comfortable and convenient options for people traveling to, from and within downtown Austin. By focusing on expanding transit priority, improving pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and supporting new mobility options, the ACT Plan helps shift more trips away from single-occupancy vehicles, moving Austin closer to the 50/50 Mode Share Goal.

Goals, Outcome, and Process

ACT Plan Goal

The goal of the ACT Plan is to create a cohesive and adaptable transportation framework that addresses the unique mobility challenges of downtown Austin, while building on previous downtown planning efforts and integrating upcoming major infrastructure projects, such as I-35 Capital Express Central and Project Connect.

 

Major Outcomes

  • Manage growth and increased demand
  • Coordinate with major transportation improvements
  • Support emerging transportation options
  • Prioritize citywide safety, climate and mode share goals

 

ACT Plan Process

Recommendations in the ACT Plan were driven by input gathered from a wide range of stakeholders, experts, and community members. Various engagement methods were employed, including both digital and in-person outreach to focus groups and the broader Austin population. This involved meetings with neighborhood associations, businesses, interest groups, and community organizations, as well as digital and paper surveys to gather feedback on the ACT Plan's goals, elements, preferences, trade-offs, and project recommendations. The Downtown Austin Alliance played a key role by organizing a working group that met regularly to provide ongoing input and discussion throughout the planning process.

Key Recommendations and Actions

Recommendations in the ACT Plan focus on feasible design solutions that have broad community consensus. The upcoming changes to I-35 and Project Connect have been integrated with the ACT Plan Projects to create a cohesive vision for future mobility. All together, these projects will help realize the ASMP goals and the Downtown Austin Plan vision to make downtown the heart of one of the most sustainable cities in the nation, and to address the problems our city and region face.

PRIORITY PROJECTS

The ACT Plan focuses on four Priority Projects that are considered key improvements toward realizing the vision for mobility downtown, addressing the plan's major outcomes. These projects provide changes needed to support the redesign of I-35, address a lack of mobility options by providing dedicated space for bicycles and transit and create great pedestrian environments. These projects are significant investments towards achieving the ASMP 50/50 Mode Share Goal.

  • Fifth Street
  • Sixth Street
  • Seventh Street
  • Eighth Street

SUPPORTING PROJECTS

The ACT Plan identifies Supporting Projects that complement the Priority Projects by recommending changes to nearby streets. These projects work together as a single system to complete the downtown street network.

  • Ninth and 10th Streets
  • 11th Street
  • 12th Street
  • Brazos Street
  • Red River Street

SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS AND STRATEGIES

In addition to the named projects identified, various street design and operational improvements could be implemented throughout downtown Austin. A toolbox of system improvements and strategies has been identified for further consideration throughout downtown.

KEY ACTIONS

  • Identify funding and other barriers to implementation
  • Coordinate project phasing with Project Connect and I-35 Capital Express Central construction
  • Coordinate with the Great Streets Update to integrate ACT Plan Projects
  • Identify quick wins, leveraging opportunities and complements to other ongoing mobility projects