COST COMPARISON FOR REBUILDING I-35: the Reconnect Austin Concept versus the Texas Department of Transportation Alternatives By Sinclair Black, FAIA
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ......................... 1 2. COMPETING CONCEPT/PLANS ......................... 2 A. LAND ACQUISITION COST ......................... 3 B. EXCAVATION COST ......................... 5 C. RETAINING WALLS COST ......................... 6 D.“CAPS & STITCHES” COST ......................... 7 E. LANE MILES COST ......................... 8 3. SUMMARY ......................... 9 4. APPENDIX ......................... 10
The cost of acquiring these properties, coupled with the additional damage to the city fabric, the cost of a wider highway footprint, and the opportunity cost of refusing to consider potential value creation, represents significant issues that should be resolved before advancing this project forward.
TXDOT’S CURRENT ALTERNATIVES WOULD:
• Leave the lowered main lanes as an even more substantial barrier than exists today.
Overall, TxDOT’s latest brainchild is a lose, lose proposition any way you slice it. It also costs more than RECONNECT AUSTIN. It is worth noting that those costs are not just monetary. The long-term cost of failing to restore the city at the surface, in favor of a huge highway canyon, will impact Austin’s future for the next 70 years. Our city leaders are beginning to recognize this and stand up for Austin’s future.
• Consume 32 acres of valuable and economically productive land in Central Austin. These are homes and local businesses that currently contribute to Austin’s tax base and quality of life. These are integral pieces of our social fabric and will force out renters and businesses that cannot afford the extremely high costs of relocation.
Despite promises made by state leaders and the Texas Transportation Commission that the rebuilt I-35 would be “no higher & no wider,” the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) recently announced that they plan to take 142 properties (32 acres) of Central Austin homes and businesses by eminent domain.
1. INTRODUCTION
The most fundamental issue at stake in this “chance of a lifetime” is what is accomplished with each worldview and what the city of Austin walks away with at the end of over six decades of living with the I-35 barrier. This comparison deals only with the major elements of the costs: land acquisition, exca vation, retaining walls, caps & stitches, and lane miles proposed. There will be hundreds of other costs involved in the completion of the project. The relative benefits of each proposal are vastly different and have been documented in other reports.
• Eliminate the enormous opportunity for economic development in the form of new taxable city fabric worth billions. New development would contribute taxes that not only pay for the full cap but would pay for schools, parks, sidewalks, tree planting, affordable housing and “Great Streets” like Second Street.
The calculations presented here are based on the very limited information published by TxDOT on August 10, 2021. The schematic drawings they presented to the public are naive to the point of being childish, as well as misleading. There is no scale on the sections presented, no dimensions are called out. We used TxDOT’s schematic “roll plots” to measure dimensions. After reviewing the limited information available, we created the enclosed estimate of the costs of the project, comparing the RECONNECT AUSTIN vision to TxDOT’s Alternative 2. We have broken down and compared costs; making our best reasonable assumptions to analyze the real cost of TxDOT’s con cept for their I-35 rebuild. We used the same assumptions and unit costs for both concepts to compare TxDOT’s Alternative 2 with the RECONNECT AUSTIN concept, highlighting the differences.
1
• Push the new barrier further into East Austin.
2. COMPETING CONCEPT/PLANS 2 This table summarizes the aggregate costs. These costs are further considered in each of the sections following. Total Land Existing ROW 32 Acres Cost per Sq. Ft. NA 400 Total Cost $0 $558,000,000 Total Cost RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Land Acquistion $0.00 $558,000,000 Excavation $69,291,990 $101,902,250 Retaining Wall Construction $18,057,600 $54,172,800 Cap & Stitches $1,498,482,000 $1,090,248,875 All Lanes ($/lane mile) $60,800,000 $76,000,000 Total Cost $1,646,631,590 $1,880,323,925 Cost Summary TxDOT’s Alternate-2 design proposal from Lady Bird Lake to Dean Keeton Street RECONNECT AUSTIN’s design proposal from Lady Bird Lake to Dean Keeton Street
From the time of I-35’s original construction, TxDOT has consistently taken viable properties out of Austin’s tax base by eminent domain. TxDOT proposes to do this again for their next highway widening. This is despite 9 years of assurances they would operate within their own Right Of Way (ROW), until now. Several months ago, they let it be known that they would indeed be taking more land to expand and rebuild I-35. Why this last minute flip-flop?
TxDOT published their plans to take 142 properties (32 acres of land) in Central Austin, with an estimate for the land only at $95.00/sq. ft. TxDOT’s documents do not mention an estimate of cost for the buildings, businesses or damages incurred. The land cost, according to real estate principals, usually equals +/- 20% of the total property value, i.e., $400.00/sq. ft. or $558 million in acquisition costs.
A. LAND ACQUISITION COST 3 Total Lane Miles 60.8 76 Cost per Lane Mile $1,000,000 $1,000,000 Total Cost for all Lanes 60.8 x $1,000,000 76 x $1,000,000 Total Cost $60,800,000 $76,000,000 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Total Land Existing ROW 32 Acres Cost per Sq. Ft. NA 400 Total Cost $0 $558,000,000 Total Cost RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Land Acquistion $0.00 $558,000,000 Excavation $69,291,990 $101,902,250 Retaining Wall Construction $18,057,600 $54,172,800 Cap & Stitches $1,498,482,000 $1,090,248,875 All Lanes ($/lane mile) $60,800,000 $76,000,000 Total Cost $1,646,631,590 $1,880,323,925 Cost Summary Land Acquisition Cost
RECONNECT AUSTIN’s proposal does not require any additional ROW. In fact, RECONNECT AUS TIN envisions using existing TxDOT ROW for new development. TxDOT land acquisition at upper decks and 51st street Portion of land TxDOT plans to take by Eminent Domain according to their pro posed “Alternative-2” design.
•
• Costs of relocation of businesses, assuming they can in fact be successfully relocated.
•
The land cost, according to real estate principals, usually equals +/- 20% of the total property value. $95.00/sq. ft. land at 20% of the total property value =$400.00/sq. ft. for the total property. Loss of local businesses and the cost of potential damages.
If you overlay the published TxDOT Alternative 2 plan, showing the eminent domain takings, we have assumed that the 142 properties identified will be taken entirely, but TxDOT offers no insight into the true cost of that action. Yet, we do know that the following will be likely:
•
4
•
The incredible cost of the legal battles due to eminent domain that will inevitably result, and taxpayers will pay.
• Loss of most valuable land, i.e., frontage and landscaping.
B. EXCAVATION COST TxDOT’s plans show ROW widths that vary wildly, from 207 ft. up to 750 ft., and therefore resulting excavation volumes also vary wildly. The excavation for RECONNECT AUSTIN takes place entirely within the 204 ft. ROW. This creates a very significant cost difference between the two proposals. These calculations assume that both projects would need to excavate to a depth of 30 ft. The going rate for excavation of this type is $15/cu. yd. North South RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Width (ft) 204 300 Depth (ft) 30 30 Length (ft) 20,380 20,380 Total Cubic Volume (Cu. Ft.) 124,725,600 183,420,000 Area Cubic Yard 4,619,466 6,793,483.33 Assume $15 for 1 Cu. Yd. 4,619,466 x $15.00 6793483.33 x $15.00 Total cost $69,291,990 $101,902,250 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Ft.) 20,064 20,064 Avg Depth (Ft.) 30 30 Avg number of Retaining Walls 2 6 Total area 1,203,840 3,611,520 Cost per Sq. Ft. $15.00/sq. ft. $15.00/sq. ft. Total Cap Cost per Sq. Ft 1,203,840 x $15.00 3,611,520 x $15.00 Total Cost $18,057,600 $54,172,800 Cost of RECONNECT AUSTIN Continuous Cap Cost of TxDOT all Caps & Stitches (Bridges) Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Ft.) 19,588 19,588 Avg Width (Ft.) 204 300+ Cap area (Sq. Ft.) 3,995,952 Cap 956,329 Cap Stitches area (Sq. Ft.) NA 1,463,251 Stitches (Bridges) Cost per Sq. Ft. $375/sq. ft. $500/sq. ft. Stitches (Bridges) | $375/sq. ft. (Cap) Total Cost per Sq. Ft. $375 x 3,956,776 sq. ft. ($500 x 1,463,251 sq. ft.) + ($375 x 956,329 sq. ft.) $731,625,500 + $358,623,375 Total Cost $1,498,482,000 $1,090,248,875 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Miles) 3.8 3.8 Total Lanes 16 20 Total Lane Miles 60.8 76 Cost per Lane Mile $1,000,000 $1,000,000 Total Cost for all Lanes 60.8 x $1,000,000 76 x $1,000,000 Total Cost $60,800,000 $76,000,000 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Total Land Existing ROW 32 Acres Cost per Sq. Ft. NA 400 Total Cost $0 $558,000,000 Total Cost RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Excavation Cost Basic Total Cost of Cap and Stitches Construction Cost Summary Basic Total Cost of Retaining Wall Construction Land Acquisition Cost Total Cost for All Lanes ONLY AVERAGE
C. RETAINING WALLS COST
The good news is that after 9 years of being shown the RECONNECT AUSTIN concept for a boulevard, TxDOT recently announced that their big “new” idea is to combine the access roads (frontage roads), between Dean Keeton and Manor Rd, and call it a “boulevard.” This allows them to avoid the Mt. Cal vary Cemetery and avoid land area fights with UT Austin. In this configuration they have demonstrated that they can design within a narrower ROW. Brilliant…the bad news, however, is that they would put their “boulevard” only on the west side, instead of using the opportunity to put the boulevard and the lowered lanes in the same footprint.TxDOT’s
TxDOT’s project sections vary in width and require a range of retaining walls, between 2 and 6. The average number of retaining walls, per TxDOT’s sections, is 6 walls. This calculation does not account for the cost of flyovers or ramps, which are shown in numerous Tx DOT sections (including section DD shown).
Retaining Wall Costs are estimated to be $15.00/sq. ft. This estimate comes from a civil engineering consultant. The cost is calculated assuming the same 30 ft. depth of excavation and a length of 3.8 miles. The constants are length, height, and cost/sq. ft. The primary difference is in the number of re taining walls. RECONNECT AUSTIN would be built at a consistent width, requiring 2 retaining walls for the length of the project.
RECONNECT AUSTIN assumes “direct connection portals” to the urban grid with NO long high-speed ramps dividing the city and NO “bypass” flyovers. The direct connection portals free up the edges of the boulevard for the creation of new tax base. In fact, without a robust building edge to the new boulevard, there is no economic opportunity at all.
Design, Section DD 6 Area Cubic Yard 4,619,466 6,793,483.33 Assume $15 for 1 Cu. Yd. 4,619,466 x $15.00 6793483.33 x $15.00 Total cost $69,291,990 $101,902,250 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Ft.) 20,064 20,064 Avg Depth (Ft.) 30 30 Avg number of Retaining Walls 2 6 Total area 1,203,840 3,611,520 Cost per Sq. Ft. $15.00/sq. ft. $15.00/sq. ft. Total Cap Cost per Sq. Ft 1,203,840 x $15.00 3,611,520 x $15.00 Total Cost $18,057,600 $54,172,800 Cost of RECONNECT AUSTIN Continuous Cap Cost of TxDOT all Caps & Stitches (Bridges) Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Ft.) 19,588 19,588 Avg Width (Ft.) 204 300+ Cap area (Sq. Ft.) 3,995,952 Cap 956,329 Cap Stitches area (Sq. Ft.) NA 1,463,251 Stitches (Bridges) Cost per Sq. Ft. $375/sq. ft. $500/sq. ft. Stitches (Bridges) | $375/sq. ft. (Cap) Total Cost per Sq. Ft. $375 x 3,956,776 sq. ft. ($500 x 1,463,251 sq. ft.) + ($375 x 956,329 sq. ft.) $731,625,500 + $358,623,375 Total Cost $1,498,482,000 $1,090,248,875 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Miles) 3.8 3.8 Total Lanes 16 20 Total Lane Miles 60.8 76 Cost per Lane Mile $1,000,000 $1,000,000 Total Cost for all Lanes 60.8 x $1,000,000 76 x $1,000,000 Total Cost $60,800,000 $76,000,000 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Total Land Existing ROW 32 Acres Cost per Sq. Ft. NA 400 Total Cost $0 $558,000,000 Total Cost RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Land Acquistion $0.00 $558,000,000 Excavation $69,291,990 $101,902,250 Retaining Wall Construction $18,057,600 $54,172,800 Cap & Stitches $1,498,482,000 $1,090,248,875 All Lanes ($/lane mile) $60,800,000 $76,000,000 Total Cost $1,646,631,590 $1,880,323,925 Basic Total Cost of Cap and Stitches Construction Cost Summary Basic Total Cost of Retaining Wall Construction Land Acquisition Cost Total Cost for All Lanes
Alternative-2
TxDOT’s plan includes I-35 ramps which are high-speed and very long, creating a barrier for people.
Areas where TxDOT will currently allow I-35 caps and stitches Potential wider bridge (stitch) locations otential deck cap locations E 14th Street 38th 1/2 Street D. “CAPS & STITCHES” COST The community alternative RECONNECT AUSTIN is based first and foremost on the value proposition of creating many billions of dollars in taxable properties while humanizing the I-35 corridor. TxDOT’s current alternatives for I-35 enable some caps and stitches, but only at select locations, effectively blocking the enormous value creation of a continuous cap. A continuous cap, with a boulevard on top and buildings lining that boulevard, as envisioned by RE CONNECT AUSTIN, would create valuable tax paying properties that would be an integral part of downtown Austin. WillowManorStreetRoad 7 Area Cubic Yard 4,619,466 6,793,483.33 Assume $15 for 1 Cu. Yd. 4,619,466 x $15.00 6793483.33 x $15.00 Total cost $69,291,990 $101,902,250 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Ft.) 20,064 20,064 Avg Depth (Ft.) 30 30 Avg number of Retaining Walls 2 6 Total area 1,203,840 3,611,520 Cost per Sq. Ft. $15.00/sq. ft. $15.00/sq. ft. Total Cap Cost per Sq. Ft 1,203,840 x $15.00 3,611,520 x $15.00 Total Cost $18,057,600 $54,172,800 Cost of RECONNECT AUSTIN Continuous Cap Cost of TxDOT all Caps & Stitches (Bridges) Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Ft.) 19,588 19,588 Avg Width (Ft.) 204 300+ Cap area (Sq. Ft.) 3,995,952 Cap 956,329 Cap Stitches area (Sq. Ft.) NA 1,463,251 Stitches (Bridges) Cost per Sq. Ft. $375/sq. ft. $500/sq. ft. Stitches (Bridges) | $375/sq. ft. (Cap) Total Cost per Sq. Ft. $375 x 3,956,776 sq. ft. ($500 x 1,463,251 sq. ft.) + ($375 x 956,329 sq. ft.) $731,625,500 + $358,623,375 Total Cost $1,498,482,000 $1,090,248,875 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Miles) 3.8 3.8 Total Lanes 16 20 Total Lane Miles 60.8 76 Cost per Lane Mile $1,000,000 $1,000,000 Total Cost for all Lanes 60.8 x $1,000,000 76 x $1,000,000 Total Cost $60,800,000 $76,000,000 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Total Land Existing ROW 32 Acres Cost per Sq. Ft. NA 400 Total Cost $0 $558,000,000 Total Cost RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Land Acquistion $0.00 $558,000,000 Excavation $69,291,990 $101,902,250 Retaining Wall Construction $18,057,600 $54,172,800 Cap & Stitches $1,498,482,000 $1,090,248,875 All Lanes ($/lane mile) $60,800,000 $76,000,000 Total Cost $1,646,631,590 $1,880,323,925 Basic Total Cost of Cap and Stitches Construction Cost Summary Basic Total Cost of Retaining Wall Construction Land Acquisition Cost Total Cost for All Lanes
According to historical TxDOT information, lane costs are computed as $1 million/lane mile. TxDOT shows 20 lanes x 3.8 miles. RECONNECT AUSTIN shows 16 lanes x 3.8 miles. TxDOT has not clearly shown the cost of ramps, weaving lanes, or bypass flyovers. E. LANE MILES COST Proposed RECONNECT AUSTIN Section TxDOT’s Alternative-2 Design, Section CC 8 Cap area (Sq. Ft.) 3,995,952 Cap 956,329 Cap Stitches area (Sq. Ft.) NA 1,463,251 Stitches (Bridges) Cost per Sq. Ft. $375/sq. ft. $500/sq. ft. Stitches (Bridges) | $375/sq. ft. (Cap) Total Cost per Sq. Ft. $375 x 3,956,776 sq. ft. ($500 x 1,463,251 sq. ft.) + ($375 x 956,329 sq. ft.) $731,625,500 + $358,623,375 Total Cost $1,498,482,000 $1,090,248,875 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Lady Bird Lake to Airport Lady Bird Lake to Airport Total Length (Miles) 3.8 3.8 Total Lanes 16 20 Total Lane Miles 60.8 76 Cost per Lane Mile $1,000,000 $1,000,000 Total Cost for all Lanes 60.8 x $1,000,000 76 x $1,000,000 Total Cost $60,800,000 $76,000,000 RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Total Land Existing ROW 32 Acres Cost per Sq. Ft. NA 400 Total Cost $0 $558,000,000 Total Cost RECONNECT AUSTIN TxDOT Land Acquistion $0.00 $558,000,000 Excavation $69,291,990 $101,902,250 Retaining Wall Construction $18,057,600 $54,172,800 Cap & Stitches $1,498,482,000 $1,090,248,875 All Lanes ($/lane mile) $60,800,000 $76,000,000 Total Cost $1,646,631,590 $1,880,323,925 Cost Summary Land Acquisition Cost Total Cost for All Lanes
YOU
We as a community must decide between the heavy hand of a state/federal program dedicated to cars and money based on lies and flawed antique thinking OR a brighter future for our economy, our health, and our quality of life for all Austinities and ultimately for our children.
With TxDOT’s highway you get more concrete, more cars, more pollution, and more traffic deaths with absolutely no economic development, no environmental improvements, and no quality of life enhance ments, i.e., ALL COST AND ABSOLUTELY NO BENEFITS.
RECONNECT AUSTIN 3. SUMMARY 9
With RECONNECT AUSTIN, we trade a hideous barrier for a beautiful boulevard for people, trees, transit, affordable housing, and social justice. Not to mention, billions of dollars of new tax base in per petuity within this rebuilt corridor, i.e., lower cost and endless benefits. MUST CHOOSE
NO WIDER, NO HIGHER: THE I-35 SECTION CRITERIA TXDOT’S PLAN
Poster created for the I-35 press conference, held September 1, 2021 along the I-35 northbound front age road at 31st St. Speakers at the press conference included: business owners whose businesses will be bulldozed, four City of Austin Council members, leaders of community and neighborhood groups, including the NAACP and People United for Mobility Action (PUMA), who are very concerned about TxDOT’s current proposals.
Post-project Proper ty Value $0 Approximately $1 – 3 Billion Dollars within 20 years. Post-project Taxable Value $0 Billions of dollars of new, taxable value that will contribute to the tax base in perpetuity.
“No Wider, No Higher” promise Fail – wider and introduces new flyovers in the urban core. existing 204’ of ROW Lowered, capped and it fits within
Limited Purpose Freeway which neg atively impacts sur rounding land uses. Market and Affordable Housing, Hotels, Office Building, Park Space, Frontage Roads reconfigured as a Tree Lined City Streets and Boulevard median. Main Lanes
Trenched – ROW widened in most sectionconstraineds Capped – surface restored to an at-g rade city boulevard. Frontag e Lanes Adjacent to highway boulevard on top of a continuous cap City Street Grid Fewer east/west connections. Complete restoration of the g rid maximizing east/west connectivity oppor tunities for all modes.
Impacted Proper ty Condemns 32 acres and 142 proper ties of productive land including businesses, daycare facilities, and residences to conver t it to highway ROW 142 Proper ties Lost. Takes NO additional land AND restores 30 acres of highway ROW to productive taxable land. Additional 40 acres of land to the University of Texas linking UT across the freeway cor ridor. Including some private development to pay taxes.
COMMUNITY-CREATEDALTERNATIVE NO WIDER, NO HIGHER
Costs of Impacted Proper ty
Between $132M and $455M (estimated). N/A
4. APPENDIX 10
Land-UsePost-projectOpportunities
Leg al Costs of Condemnations Unknown $0 (no condemnations).
