Central Austin transportation: Greenway opens, road projects advance this summer

Update: Segment construction is anticipated to begin in phases starting late 2026.

• Timeline: late 2026-2033
• Cost: included in $4.5 billion I-35 CapEx budget
• Funding Source: Texas Department of Transportation and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization

Project: Replacement of the 1925 Barton Springs Road Bridge over Barton Creek at the entrance to Zilker Park. The new bridge will address mobility challenges for vehicles, bikes and pedestrians, with intersection improvements to nearby Barton Springs Road and Azie Morton Drive included as part of the project.

Update: The project is currently in the design phase. Bid and award is expected late 2026 to early 2027, with construction beginning summer 2027.

• Timeline: construction beginning summer 2027
• Cost: $32 million
• Funding source: 2020 Mobility Bond, U.S. Department of Transportation Bridge Investment Program Grant

I-35 Capital Express Central Project (Lady Bird Lake segment)

Project: The Lady Bird Lake segment of the I-35 Capital Express Central project runs from Holly Street to SH 71/Ben White Boulevard. Work includes reconstructing the Lady Bird Lake bridge, adding two high-occupancy-vehicle managed lanes in both directions, building a single-point urban interchange at Riverside Drive, a pedestrian-only bridge at Woodland Avenue, and bike and pedestrian paths along the corridor.

Update: Woodland Avenue under I-35 has been permanently closed, and drivers should use the frontage roads to make U-turns at Riverside Drive or Oltorf Street. The southbound I-35 bypass ramp to 15th Street is closed through mid-July for bridge construction, and northbound frontage road access just north of Riverside Drive is closed through 2029.

• Timeline: early 2025-2033
• Cost: included in $4.5 billion I-35 CapEx budget
• Funding source: TxDOT and CAMPO

The Confluence at Waterloo Greenway

Project: Part of the larger Waterloo Greenway downtown park and trail system—a 1.5-mile multiuse greenway along Waller Creek that revitalizes open space and connects key districts—Phase 2 “The Confluence” linked Fourth Street to Lady Bird Lake.

Update: Phase 2 “The Confluence” opened June 6 with new continuous off-street bike and pedestrian trails linking existing networks. Palm Park is in the schematic design phase and is expected to complete by 2028, according to the greenway’s website. Phase 3 is in concept design.

• Timeline: May 2023-June 2026
• Cost: $91.5 million
• Funding source: Waterloo Greenway, city of Austin Tax Increment funding, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers