San Antonio commute from Austin... anyone do it? (Waco, Spring: daycare, house)

[JERiv]

I'm curious.

Does anyone actually commute from Austin to San Antonio? If so, just how bad is the commute?

Thanks!

[verybadgnome]

Problem is there aren't many options to IH-35 which means you have to commute before or after the rush hour. Even getting out of SA can take some time so I would only do this rather hellish commute on a temporary basis. There is an organization called Lone Star rail that wants to build a commuter train between the two cities but at this moment they don't have much in the way of funding.

If you want to live in Austin b/c you desire a certain type of neighborhood I would suggest doing further research on SA. King William, Alamo Heights, and Southtown might be what you are looking for.

[centralaustinite]

I have known people who have done it! Usually they lived south of the river in Austin, only worked in SA 2-3 days a week, and could leave before or after rush.

I know someone who drove to WACO three times a week for a job for 2 years!! That is nuts!

[achtungpv]

I did it until Feb...1 1/2 years.

Going to SA is not a bad drive. I worked right downtown and it was 75-85 minutes door to door from SW of Austin. Coming home traffic was generally worse with it taking at least 90 minutes. Half the time 1:45.

I will say that I got a $6K raise in gasoline savings by working in Austin again not including other car maintenance expenses.

It's not something I would do again. I was never able to take my daughter to daycare or pick her up so the job actually put a bit of stress on my wife since I wasn't available for that chore if she had something come up.

I will say commuting from Austin to SA was a better deal that living there.

[robino2001]

As kinda alluded to by some of the other posters - exactly what part of Austin and SA you're traveling to/from have a major effect as well as what time of day you'd be doing this travel.

[RooCeleste]

From mid to North Austin to San Antonio, absolutely not! I had a 72 mile one-way commute in South Texas (on non-congested Highway 59) and just the additional 2.5 hours on the road every day wore me down over several months. I cannot even begin to imagine commuting from Austin to San Antonio with the traffic! If I lived in far South Austin and worked in far north SA, it might be feasible but I'd still have to think long and hard about if the job was really worth it!

[Moonlady]

If I were going to do it, I'd live in Dripping Springs and take 290/281. At least it would be a pretty and more relaxing drive than fighting I-35 every day. It's right at 90 minutes from DS to downtown SA.

[robino2001]

Originally Posted by Moonlady

If I were going to do it, I'd live in Dripping Springs and take 290/281. At least it would be a pretty and more relaxing drive than fighting I-35 every day. It's right at 90 minutes from DS to downtown SA.

Yes, but depending on time of day, the 281/1604 interchange and that area is absolutely miserable. Especially if you need to get onto 1604 and not simply driving through it. That said, it still can be much better than 35 - again - depending on the exact locations you're looking to commute to/from.

[JERiv]

Originally Posted by robino2001

As kinda alluded to by some of the other posters - exactly what part of Austin and SA you're traveling to/from have a major effect as well as what time of day you'd be doing this travel.

Actually, I am not going to be doing this at this time. But it's something I am considering if I ever switch jobs.

I know commutes suck, but full time WAH can also wear you down after a few years.

I live in SW Austin. While browsing job postings, I saw that USAA is in San Antonio, and appears to be a good place to work in. So I wanted to have an idea of whether that long of a commute is something people currently do, and if so, just how bad it is.

Thanks!

[Vector28]

Life is too short, it ain't worth it.
I did it temporarily for a few months. From north Austin to south San Antonio it was almost exactly 100 miles and 2 hours travel each way. Leaving the house at 6 AM got me through Austin before rush hour, taking 123 from San Marcos south to IH 10 in Seguin let me sneak into the east side of SA without much hassle. Returning to Austin was the worst part. I35 is always a mess unless I left SA early and even then wasn't a sure thing. Leaving late didn't solve anything either because I often ran into lane closures for night construction work.
It quickly turns your vehicle into a no-value high mileage one. Oil changes seem to come as often as fill-ups. In fact, I fill up now almost as often as I was having oil changed back then. If I were faced with it again, I think I would choose unemployment.