Bypass Austin -- I-35 Relief: TxDOT will lower truck tolls temporarily on Texas 130
10:15 a.m. update: An official with the Texas Department of Transportation says the vote on making big rig toll rates the same as car and pickup drivers pay for a month beginning Feb. 4. passed unanimously.
Earlier: The Texas Transportation Commission, looking to evaluate the effect of lower big rig tolls on both Texas 130 and Interstate 35, on Thursday will consider making those rates the same as car and pickup drivers pay for a month beginning Feb. 4.
The price cut, which the commission will likely vote on Thursday morning, would apply to Texas 130 between Georgetown and Mustang Ridge, and to Texas 45 Southeast between Texas 130 and I-35.
The temporarily lower rates would end after March 3, and vehicles with four or more axles would once again pay three times the rate for two-axle vehicles.
More details including rates at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/txdot-may-lower-truck-tolls-temporarily-on-texas-1/nWBzh/ .
[font color=green]They need to revamp everything and charge a toll to the long-haul truckers passing through Austin on I-35 while not charging them to use Texas 130 in order to alleviate traffic in the congested areas from south Austin to Georgetown.[/font]
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but I still see plenty of trucks on the road. In addition, the big rigs have to leave more room for braking in heavy traffic and also take longer to accelerate compared to smaller trucks and cars. Those factors increase congestion and traffic accidents since other motorists switch lanes to maneuver around the 18-wheelers.
I also want to advocate for building a bus station on the Texas 130 tollway to alleviate traffic since there are two major bus lines in Austin (Greyhound and Megabus). Extend the Capital Metro rail line to the new bus station to connect with downtown and build a free park and ride to provide another option for commuters coming from east of Austin. Add "small" bus/trolley routes to connect to other destinations if warranted while avoiding I-35.
I question the wisdom of letting Megabus operate out of a parking lot next to the Dobie Center at UT (one of their buses already crashed into the brick wall of an adjacent condo). I saw as many as three 13 foot tall double-decker buses in the narrow lot and the major roads leading to the drop-off spot are subject to closure for community events such as marathons. The only positive factors regarding that location are the convenience to UT students, accessibility to the food courts at Dobie Center and the 24-hour McDonalds, and then there is a head shop less than a block away on the Drag. 
Yes, it costs money and there are trade-offs. However, there are a lot of factors that mitigate that cost such as less congestion, less pollution, possible economic development in an area that needs it, and reducing the amount of real estate required for parking garages and parking lots that can be used for more compact development that could increase property valuations and have a positive impact on the tax rolls.
Okay, so much for my progressive pipe dream! 
However, if SH-130 was constructed when I was in college then it would have been my preferred route coming from south Texas. The road is only about a mile east of Southwestern so it would have been ideal.
As a youthful, inexperienced and somewhat stoned driver my preferred route was to go to Luling on SH-80 and take US 183 to get to the north side of Austin and avoid downtown.
My secondary route was on SH-123 to Seguin and San Marcos, so I would again choose to avoid the hassle of I-35 if the option were available.
The route of last resort was going through San Antonio and using I-37/US 281 to get home to George West. Back then, I-35 was only two lanes in each direction from just north of San Antonio until south Austin. In addition, I-35 narrowed to two lanes in Austin between US 290 and St. Johns Avenue.
I understand your point about SH-130 not being beneficial to San Antonio, but for traffic that is meandering towards the east it does make sense to use that route. I can also see using that route coming from US 290 from here in Brenham since the alternate route involves a speed trap in Taylor and a very windy road on Texas 29 from Circleville to Georgetown. There are similar benefits coming from the east on either I-10 or Texas 71.
I did whatever I could to avoid I-35 in those days since I narrowly avoided a collision with a wrong-way driver in the fast lane when I was going from Georgetown to Austin. I saw the headlights heading towards me from about a half mile away and fortunately the drivers in the right lane let me squeeze in. Otherwise, there would be no TexasTowelie! 