AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin has broken ground on an improvement project along a busy stretch of road in Northeast Austin.
Austin is known for having streets with many names, and Cameron/Dessau Road is one of them and is the focus of the latest Vision Zero safety project.
At the groundbreaking on the 8700 block of Cameron Road, Councilman Chito Vela, who represents that part of the city, was on hand to kick off this improvement project.
“Changes are coming that will help make it a safer corridor, slow down vehicles, we’re creating bike lanes, we’re widening sidewalks, improving bus stops,” Vela said.
The speed limit in front of the pilot site is 40 mph, but Richard Mendoza, the city’s director of transportation and public works, said they conducted speed studies and found drivers were going between 60 and 70 mph.
“We will achieve this by putting in place measures and designs that have the effect of slowing down traffic,” Mendoza said. “Data shows that the leading cause of deaths and serious injuries on our roads is speed-related, many of which occur at night.”
The Cameron/Dessau Road is an important north-south corridor in Northeast Austin, the city said. Unfortunately, it is also at the top of the city’s list of dangerous roads, with approximately 100 traffic-related injuries or deaths each year.
Once construction is completed in early 2027, Cameron and Dessau Road will no longer have three lanes from 51st Street to Parmer Lane, and will have only two lanes in each direction instead.
“You’ll see new street lighting. You’ll see larger barriers between sidewalks and driveways to protect vulnerable pedestrians. You’ll see somewhat narrower lanes between intersections. Narrow lanes have the effect of slowing down vehicles as well,” Mendoza said.
The project supports Austin’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries, as well as making moving around the city safer for everyone – whether they drive, walk, bike, ride transit, or use micromobility options.
“Cameron Route is very important to CapMetro. We operate three different routes along this route and this project will not only improve the physical infrastructure, but also our services. This project alone will improve 21 bus stops,” CapMetro CEO Dottie Watkins said.
The city will work in phases to minimize disruption to traffic flow.