Dozens of trees to be added to Austin Memorial Park Cemetery amid MoPac noise disruptions
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority announced Wednesday work will begin next week on its MoPac Cemetery Tree Planting project after years of hold up. The project aims to minimize noise and visual disruptions near the Austin Memorial Park Cemetery.
CTRMA's board members discussed the item during a board meeting Wednesday morning. The project will add about 55 trees as a barrier separating the cemetery from the highway, and will install an irrigation system.
KXAN investigators reported in October 2021 the regional tollway authority would spend $1 million on the improvements. Under federal law, the cemetery was supposed to get a sound wall during the construction of toll lanes through the 2012 MoPac Improvement Project, but that never happened.
According to Wednesday's presentation, that construction sticker price has dropped to $588,000.
Construction is expected to wrap this spring.