1. Justin Lane street reconstruction

The contractor is currently working between Yates Avenue and Hardy Drive installing water lines and placing concrete for sidewalks and driveways.

Water will be shut off within the next two to three weeks as connections are made. Notices to nearby property owners will be delivered 48 hours in advance. Afterward work will begin at Arroyo Seco and Justin with the installation of a storm sewer. The work will start at Arroyo Seco and move east toward North Lamar Boulevard.

Timeline: October 2016-October 2017 Cost: $5.3 million Funding sources: 2000 Proposition 1 Transportation Mobility Improvements (street improvements), 2012 Proposition 12 Transportation and Mobility (street and bridge), AWU Commercial Paper

2. New Central Library infrastructure improvements

West Avenue, which runs perpendicular to West Cesar Chavez Street, was extended to create an intersection with Cesar Chavez on Aug. 4—part of a series of improvements before the Oct. 28 opening of the New Central Library. Other initiatives include the design and construction of a new bridge over Shoal Creek at Second Street and the extension of Second from Shoal Creek to West. Previously, West ran south from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard but ended at Third Street. With the extension, a traffic signal was activated at the intersection of West Avenue and Cesar Chavez.

Timeline: June 2013-October 2017 Cost: $29.13 million (Second Street bridge) Funding source: 2006 bond proposition

3. Colorado Street reconstruction

The Colorado Street corridor, from Cesar Chavez to Ninth streets, will be converted to two-way traffic in early September. The contractor has completed the installation of the storm drain and wastewater line along the west side of Colorado between Eighth and 10th streets. Work continues to complete the water line installation in the southwest quadrant of the Ninth Street intersection.

The project aims to replace aging utility infrastructure as well as improve the condition of the street surface. Work entails widening sidewalks, adding decorative pavers and incorporating trees into the design of the road.

Timeline: November 2015-September 2017 Cost: $6 million Funding sources: 2012 transportation and mobility bonds

4. Southeast Allandale water and wastewater improvements

The city’s contractor paused construction June 29 and will resume the project once the MoPac toll lanes are completed and the northbound auxiliary lane between 35th and 45th streets is reopened to motorists. Officials anticipate the toll lane will be ready in September. With the exception of the wastewater line on 45th, La Ronde Street and a portion of Chiappero Trail, all work is substantially complete.

Timeline: April 2016-fall 2017 Cost: $3.82 million Funding source: Austin Water


How it works

Blue highway signs statewide a part of TxDOT’s Directional Signs Program

Travel-related businesses looking to get their slice of the $68 billion annual direct travel industry in Texas can participate in the Texas Department of Transportation’s Logo and Directional Signs Program. The blue advertising signs drivers seen on the sides of Texas highways are a result of the program.

Business owners can lease space on the signs to place a logo at a cost ranging from $900-$3,250 per year for main lane signs and $150-$750 per year for ramp signs. The cost is determined by the daily traffic count for the area.

Only travel-related businesses—which include those selling gas, food or lodging; camping sites; 24-hour pharmacies; and those offering at least one primary motorist service—are eligible to participate in the program. Major shopping areas are also allowed to lease individual signs, according to LoneStar Logos & Signs, which partners with TxDOT to offer the Logo and Directional Signs Program.

TxDOT requires that businesses are located no more than 3 miles from an eligible highway.