In May, Austin City Council approved initial funding for many of the proposed caps over the to-be-expanded I-35. This included funding for both Red Line Parkway crossings over I-35—a continuous cap at 4th Street and a "stitch" for the northern crossing just south of Airport Blvd. Another northern stitch will serve the new 41st St. to Wilshire Blvd. crossing.

The basic outline design (the general shape) of the two I-35 Northern Stitches is undergoing final consideration. The City of Austin must provide its choice for the shape of the stitches to TxDOT by the end of December. You have an opportunity to weigh in on the four proposals tomorrow at a City of Austin open house: 

Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025
Time: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location: Austin Public Library Carver Branch, 1161 Angelina St.,  Austin TX 78702
Website: City of Austin, Our Future 35 - Northern Stitches

Our Recommendation - Option B

The four Northern Stitch concept options are available on the City of Austin Our Future 35 website. Even upon a quick review of the four options, it's evident that Option A and B are the only two that provide a full stitch for the Red Line Parkway. Options C and D provide a partial stitch that exposes Parkway users to the major negative impacts from the highway below.

Similarly for the 41st Street stitch, Options B & D shield walk/bike users from highway impacts traveling either way and on both sides of the stitch, while Options A & C offer nothing additional for those crossing along the south edge of the 41st St. bridge.

Unlike the much larger caps planned for downtown, any option for the Northern Stitches will provide little opportunity for outdoor gathering space. Due to the limited size (no wider than 300'), the stitches are limited primarily to providing an improved experience for those crossing I-35. Nearby parcels provide much better opportunities for expansive, new park space.

As a result, we wholeheartedly encourage you to express your support for Option B.

• Provides the best option for the projected 5,000-10,000 daily users (including walk, bike, run, roll, scoot, and more) of the regional Red Line Parkway crossing I-35 here, which will significantly outnumber other walk/bike routes in the vicinity.
• Reflects the wishes of the May 2025 city council resolution.
• Provides a range of funding options for next implementation steps, including local funding that does not impact the city's general budget or bond funding capacity, federal transit funding, private developer funding, economic development funding, and philanthropic funding.
• Most likely to be funded and the most likely to be funded for completion by 2035.
• Provides the lowest price point for this stage of implementation.
• Best serves transit users for the future CapMetro Rail Hancock Station planned for between I-35 and 45th Street.

Though this current decision provides only the outline shape, it's worth thinking ahead to what opportunities there are for designing what goes on top of the stitches. Some existing examples include the following.

The highway caps in Madrid, Spain, provide some visual concepts that could serve the Red Line Parkway Stitch.

The Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge in San Antonio provides a nearby example that illustrates greenway connectivity across a highway that could be applied to the Red Line Parkway Stitch.

High Street in Columbus, Ohio over I-670 provides an example of extending the human-scaled urban environment over a large interstate highway that could be applied to the 41st Street Stitch. This activates the length of the bridge, leading to a higher safety perception and reality, plus provides integrated economic development.

Implementation of the Northern Stitches will provide local examples that can be applied to other locations in our city and region for future highway projects. Everyone deserves to move about their city without exposure to massive air pollution and noise pollution.

We will continue to work toward implementation of the Northern Stitches. They serve essential transportation needs that would not otherwise be built, including for those who cannot or choose not to drive. They provide improved connectivity for a regional trail and local walk/bike trips, which instead would either be made by car or not be made at all, making people feel trapped in their neighborhoods or homes. Just as the Wishbone Bridge and Lady Bird Lake Boardwalk now provide enhanced connectivity where some walk/bike connectivity already existed, so too can we provide better walk/bike connectivity in this and other, new areas of our city and region that generally do not see this level of attention to walk/bike needs.

If you can't attend the open house tomorrow, we recommend that you email city staff with your support for Option B: [email protected].