Since January 6, 2026, the Festival Beach Food Forest team has been responding to an unexpected and insufficiently communicated wastewater pipeline relocation project associated with TxDOT’s I-35 expansion. We offer our heartfelt gratitude to the community for answering our calls to action, helping to salvage plants from our barrier berm, and donating to our mitigation fund.

Not only has the pipeline consumed all of FBFF's volunteer resources in the first two months of this year, its construction will result in a devastating loss of time, labor, and funding. FBFF estimates that this wastewater pipeline will affect approximately $550,000 in parkland investments, including volunteer hours with an in-kind economic value of $375,000.

Ultimately, we were only granted a two-day pause from TxDOT, and facing the imminent destruction of our barrier berm, our team moved forward with the difficult decision to un-plant 90 young trees and shrubs from the affected area. These plants are currently being stored and cared for off-site, and we hope to re-plant them in the Food Forest very soon. The City of Austin was also able to assist with relocating a 40-year-old Mountain Laurel out of the path of destruction.

The I-35 TxDOT project will continue to impact the forest and the surrounding areas. Construction is set to last for up to a decade and the damage for many more decades to come. We expect to incur costs not previously planned for, including updating our Phase II design, re-planting the barrier berm and replacing any lost plants.