AUSTIN, Texas -- Capital Metro is set to break ground on the Westgate Transit Center, this summer, under a place commuters might not have imagined. It will be under an elevated portion of Highway 71, on Ben White Boulevard between Manchaca Road and Pack Saddle Pass.

"There's a large expanse of just concrete, with columns holding up the overpass, but it’s not used for anything productive right now," said Peter Partheymuller, a communications specialist for Capital Metro.

The transportation authority is partnering with the City of Austin and the Texas Department of Transportation. While there are other transit centers like the one on South Congress allowing commuters to park and ride, Westgate will be the fiirst "mobility hub." 

“That’s where perhaps you can come in, there might be a kiosk that gives you a comprehensive look at all your mobility options,” said Todd Hemingson, the vice president of planning and development at Capital Metro. 

The Westgate Transit Center is a nearly $4 million project. There is going to be 200 parking spots and there will be eight bus routes passing through. There could also be space for B-Cycle bikes or car2go vehicles.

“Our plans for the transit center there incorporate all the different ways people around Austin right now," Partheymuller said. "People use ride-hailing firms, they use car2go, we use bikes, we walk.”

The planned space is also near the Westgate Shopping Center, where there is more than 1,000 daily passenger boardings and de-boardings. CapMetro wants to increase ridership and efficiency across its system, while thinking about growth in the region. 

“Our road system is not built for all the people much less all of the people who are coming," Partheymuller said. "So if we can get fewer people in their cars by themselves, that will better for us all to get around town.” 

Groundbreaking is scheduled for July and the Westgate Transit Center will open early next year.