The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority has closed all its Austin-area toll roads until further notice.
Officials from the toll authority and the Texas Department of Transportation are shutting down the tolled highways as they are seeing the highways rapidly refreeze after being treated with de-icing substances. Crews with the authority will place barriers to prevent drivers from accessing the following toll roads:
U.S. 183A toll lanes from south of San Gabriel Parkway to RM 620.
U.S. 290 East toll lanes from U.S. 183 to east of Parmer Lane, including the direct connectors
U.S. 183 South toll lanes from U.S. 290 to Texas 71, including the direct connectors.
Evolving forecast
As of 8 p.m. Sunday, National Weather Service observations at Camp Mabry, site of the Austin s main weather station, continued to report light snow as temperatures sank to 18 degrees.
The historic chill also had some bite to it, as north winds of 9 mph included gusts as strong as 29 mph. The wind chill produced a feels like temperature of 7 degrees.
Although Austin remains under a winter storm and a wind chill warning until noon Monday, the weather service revised its outlook for Sunday night, instead calling for a low of 9 degrees still a potential daily record. But the wind chill will make the air feel more like 5 degrees below zero.
The owners of more than 200 lakefront properties along Lake Austin have sued the city of Austin and Austin Community College to get out of paying property taxes they say they should not be charged.
The lawsuit comes as property tax bills are now due for numerous lakefront properties that remained off the city s tax rolls until this year after being given an exemption for decades despite being within the city limits.
Lead plaintiffs Judy and Brent Harward, along with the owners of at least 213 other properties, sued in federal court Saturday. They argue that they should not pay property taxes to the city because they do not receive the same level of city services as most Austin residents.
The Austin City Council has decided to purchase a hotel at Burnet Road and U.S. 183 to turn into transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness.
The council unanimously voted to buy the Texas Bungalow Hotel & Suites at 13311 Burnet Road for $6.7 million. Its purchase is the latest in a strategy from the city to buy hotels to house the homeless.
A second hotel near U.S. 183 and the Texas 45 toll road on the northern outskirts of Austin was also set to be purchased. However, at the behest of Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, that vote was put off for a week.
Kelly has shown some resistance to the purchase of that hotel, the Candlewood Suites at 10811 Pecan Park Blvd. It lies in her district and its purchase marks a difficult vote for the new council member, who campaigned heavily on a platform that many of the city s policies regarding homelessness were not beneficial.