The Austin City Council approved $13 million plans Thursday to construct two overpasses at the intersection of MoPac and Highway 290.

The council said they hoped the addition of the roads would ease traffic congestion and lower air pollutant emissions.
TXDoT has been given the go-ahead by council to “fast-forward” construction on the overpasses thanks to the Pass Through Finance Program approved by the Texas Legislature earlier this year. The program allows public and private entities to put more funding into projects to speed up TXDoT’s timetable. TXDoT has agreed to fund 80 percent of the construction while the city will fund the remainder.

“I want the citizens of Austin to know that City Hall clearly understands the transportation problems we have in this community and that we’re very focused on delivering real solutions,” Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell said in a press release.

The roads could be open in Sept. 2011, a TXDoT engineer said. The construction will include Northbound MoPac to Eastbound Highway 290 and Southbound MoPac to Westbound Highway 290.