Weight of Cars Has Potential to Crush Growth

Scoblick says a long-term transportation solution will require a comprehensive and expensive plan.

AUSTIN, TX—Austin is one of the fastest growing areas in the country, but as a result, has a real transportation challenge ahead of it. Capital Metro’s Austin In Motion study found that congestion/traffic is the most serious problem that has come from fast growth in the Austin area, according to 70% of respondents. There is simply not enough capacity in the current transportation system to accommodate the vast growth.

Looking ahead, Austin’s transportation infrastructure will be a threat to its future economic growth, which could have a softening effect on the office market. Austin desperately needs vast improvements in the capacity of roadways and mass transit, according to a fourth quarter office report by Savills Studley. The quarterly report is a compilation of office leasing statistics and trends, major transactions, submarket comparisons, employment trends, and investment and development trends specific to the Austin region.