Parks staff: TxDOT proposed $25 million for Hyatt-area boardwalk mitigation; city has not yet received funds

Ricardo Solis of Austin Parks and Recreation presented the committee with an overview of parkland impacts from the I-35 Capital Express expansion and the proposed mitigation package tied to the project.

Solis said park impacts will occur through 2033 and include detours to the hike-and-bike trail, temporary easements for staging and material transport, utility relocations into adjacent parkland, temporary power outages during construction, and potential impacts to Palm Park and Edward Rendon Park. He said TxDOT identified a boardwalk in the Hyatt area as a mitigation measure under Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act, and that TxDOT proposed roughly $25,000,000 to build a boardwalk; the Trail Conservancy would manage that project in the near term.

When asked whether TxDOT had provided the funds to the city, Solis replied, "As far as I know, we have not received that." He also described a fee-simple acquisition in the corridor that was required because federal 6(f) protections limit temporary closures, and explained TxDOT's stated intent is to return the land to public use after construction under an interlocal agreement.

Council members pressed staff on payment timing, the potential for redirecting mitigation dollars toward park acquisition in East Austin and how the compensation would be administered; staff said follow-up discussions would be held offline to clarify timing and responsibility for construction and management.

The committee did not take formal action; Parks staff said negotiations and coordination with TxDOT and the Trail Conservancy are ongoing.