Austin staffers have officially recommended that the city move ahead with a plan to widen sidewalks and create a curbside lane for rideshare and delivery drop-offs along Sixth Street.
The recommendation comes after the city released three potential redesign plans for the historic road. Austinites were given opportunities to take surveys or attend open houses on the designs. The redesign includes Sixth Street between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35.
Just 18% of the 3,706 people who took the survey strongly supported the redesign the city ended up choosing. The most popular redesign included bike lanes on both sides of Sixth Street, which didn’t make it into the city’s recommendation.
“With a dense, connected downtown grid, there are multiple opportunities for east-west bike connectivity on parallel corridors,” the city’s recommendation says. The city plans to look at adding bike lanes to other downtown streets.
Officials now have to find the funding to get the redesign done as the city’s budget only included money for the design process. One option: The project could be put into a fall bond package, and if approved by voters, construction would start in 2027.
“I anticipate we’ll be looking for federal grants, or we’ll include it in a potential next voter bond referendum where our voters will vote on bonds that will fund the construction,” Richard Mendoza, Transportation and Public Works director, told KXAN.
If the city is able to find the money for the redesign, Sixth Street will include:
- Two westbound vehicle lanes
- 25 feet of sidewalk on both sides of the road for walking, bike racks, benches, and cafes
- Bollards on both sides of the street
- New trees
The city will also need to finalize design plans, which could take six to nine months, Mendoza said.
