I-35 is among 10 U.S. highways that need to be removed, according to a new report.



Transportation advocacy group Congress for the New Urbanism released its sixth “Freeways Without Futures” report Wednesday, detailing the list of the top 10 highways across the U.S. which need to be removed. This is the first time I-35 has been on the list, which has been released every two years since 2008.



According to a report by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, I-35 is the third-most congested roadway in the state for all traffic — accounting for more than 10.7 million hours in traffic delays. Large portions of the highway also run through Austin, where a study said people spent more time driving than anywhere else in Texas in 2018.



The complete removal of the highway is infeasible because of all of the traffic, the report says. However, since the highway inhibits travel between East and West Austin, the report shares four recommendations from grassroots coalition Reconnect Austin to improve the highway.

READ: Austin, San Antonio team up to tackle traffic woes



The recommendations from Reconnect Austin include removing the portion of the highway between Cesar Chavez Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, removing existing highway frontage roads, burying parts of I-35 below ground and replacing the buried roads with a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly boulevard.



These proposals would open up 30 acres of new land and add a value of approximately $3.3 billion to the area, the report says.



While Reconnect Austin’s proposals have yet to be fully embraced by the city, the Texas Department of Transportation is still implementing its own solutions. The department is working on a $8.1 billion improvement plan for I-35 around Austin, which includes depressing some of the existing freeway lanes.



The report says TXDOT’s planned renovation and support from advocacy groups make for an “ideal, once in-a-generation opportunity” to improve I-35.