The local Austin government has approved funding for improvements to the highways leading to the circuit, in a bid to improve traffic flow during Formula 1 and MotoGP events.
Currently highway FM 812, which directly leads to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), is a two lane roadway which would struggle to handle the 100,000 or so cars which are expected during race weekends.
Travis County Commissioners approved $375,000 (£230,000) of funding to get the project started, a further $1.1 million will be provided by external developers.
The plans, which have been given the green-light, will see the addition of two 11-foot wide hard shoulders which will be used during race weekends to double the roads capacity.
As is the case with many tracks, including Silverstone which implemented the idea recently and has seen a vast improvement in traffic flow, three lanes will run eastbound toward the track in the morning, with the remaining lane running west, with the opposite after the race, thus increasing capacity by threefold.
According to a recent study conducted by Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. and Graham Lake-Grange, without improvements spectators could face delays of up to three hours, though Carlos Lopez, district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation, believes that figure is grossly underestimated. He speculates delays around six to eight hours without these extra lanes.
Credit: The F1 Times (www.thef1times.com)
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