If you have ventured lately into the area of downtown between the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas, you may have noticed quite a bit of construction activity and road closures. This is all part of the ambitious Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan, which will transform this area bordered by 15th Street on the south, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the north, Colorado Street on the west, and Trinity Street on the east. The plan, which was initiated in 2016, seeks to increase greenspace along with pedestrian and bicycle access in the area, while also improving parking, infrastructure and office space for state employees working in the various agency buildings. It is the first large-scale development project in the Capitol Complex since the restoration and expansion of the Capitol, which took place in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
The most immediately noticeable change has been that the previously one-way 16th, 17th and 18th streets are in the process of being converted to two-way thoroughfares. In addition, construction has begun on the new George H.W. Bush State Office Building at the southeast corner of Congress and MLK, which will include public event and performance space, in addition to state agency offices. This is the first of two new buildings (the other will be at 16th and Congress) and five levels of underground parking that are being constructed as part of Phase One of the project, which is scheduled to be completed by mid-2022 at an estimated cost of $581 million. Phases Two and Three have yet to be funded by the state legislature, so their plans have not left the drawing board yet.
If fully realized, over the course of the project’s three phases, six new office buildings will be constructed on current surface parking lots in the area. When completed, these new buildings will enable the state to consolidate agencies that are currently located in leased office space. In addition, all new buildings will be constructed according to environmental guidelines designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy efficiency. Furthermore, the added greenspace and increased tree canopy, especially in the portion of the area designated as the “Garden District,” will mitigate some of the area’s current “heat island” effect by increasing shade and reducing impervious cover. The area will also effectively link with the new Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, immediately to the east.
The initial projects of Phase One are intended to set the stage for construction of the showpiece of the entire project: the transformation of Congress Avenue between 16th and MLK into a cultural plaza called Texas Mall. This tree-lined, pedestrian promenade will provide a link between UT’s Blanton Museum of Art and the Texas State History Museum on the north with the State Capitol to the south. It will serve as a northern gateway to the Capitol Complex, with public green space for tourism, events and festivals, as well as new monuments. Eventually, the remaining block between 15th and 16th will be added to complete the Texas Mall. Construction on the mall is scheduled to begin in summer 2019.
To view the master plan in full, visit the project website.
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