A new clinic offering specialty, primary and surgical care services opened in South Austin on June 1.

The details: Austin Regional Clinic opened its new South Specialty Clinic, a 63,000-square-foot, two-story facility that offers 12 specialty services provided by 36 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, or APCs.

The first floor includes 45 exam rooms, six treatment rooms and lab and radiology services. The second floor offers 68 exam rooms, four treatment rooms and cardiology labs. This summer, ARC Surgery Center South will open, providing outpatient surgery services to patients, according to a news release.

A closer look: ARC Senior Operations Director Darlene Guynes told Community Impact that one of the motivations for opening the new facility was based on identifying the need for an outpatient surgical center in the South Austin area, where ARC can provide comprehensive care.

Patients at ARC South Specialty currently have access to on-site lab and radiology services, in addition to:

• Dermatology
• OLINO Medical Aesthetics
• Neurology
• Podiatry
• Rheumatology/Infusion Therapy

Austin could rein in the use of electronic motorcycles and mini-bikes, or e-motos, in response to lacking local regulations and rising roadway safety concerns.

The big picture: City officials noted that e-motos, a collective term for the throttle-powered electric vehicles, can operate at high speeds and resemble traditional motorcycles rather than slower and more limited e-bikes. Austin doesn't yet have any specific regulations on the books for e-motos, which can drive as fast as 60 miles per hour or more—well above an existing cap of 28 MPH established for e-bikes in Texas transportation law.

Action taken: A recently approved City Council resolution will result in proposed city code changes to define e-motos and their legality, establish when and where they're permitted and set related penalties. It also called for police training updates, a public awareness campaign and the possible dedication of an e-moto recreational area.

Check out six upcoming or ongoing transportation project updates across the Austin metro.

Upcoming projects
Austin will commit $104M to support future I-35 decks: Austin will commit more than $100 million to support future public amenity decks covering portions of I-35, after a scaled-down alternate proposal was tabled this spring. The city would develop larger caps and smaller stitches to cover the interstate, connecting downtown and East Austin with public decks that could house parks, plazas and small buildings or venues. Building all caps and stitches is now estimated to cost about $400 million, added amenities across all decks could cost nearly $260 million, and maintaining the structures will cost about $9 million annually once they're in place. 

Ongoing projects
Construction on Austin Avenue bridges in Georgetown to resume: The southbound Austin Avenue bridge decks will be demolished beginning this month in preparation for new bridge construction. Demolition will take approximately two months, and both bridges are anticipated to be completed and open to traffic next April. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed June 3 that a case of the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly, was detected on a cattle ranch in South Texas.

The overview: The case marks the first domestic detection of screwworm in a decade and the first Texas case in approximately 50 years. The flesh-eating parasite is a threat to the state’s $15.5 billion cattle industry.

Zooming in: No additional infestations have been identified, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told reporters. Federal and state officials have emphasized that they do not anticipate issues with the food supply chain, as the screwworm only targets live animals and does not infest meat, fruit or vegetables.

However, experts have warned that a larger, prolonged screwworm outbreak could cause a spike in beef prices.

A widespread infestation is estimated to cost Texas at least $1.8 billion per year in damages, according to a USDA analysis of a 1976 screwworm outbreak. Texas cattle, sheep and goat producers would face about $732 million in annual losses.