SH 71 Improvement Project completion[/caption]

1. SH 71 Improvement Project completion

Texas Department of Transportation work on Hwy. 71 between Southwest Parkway and Hwy. 290 in Oak Hill was done as of Aug. 1. Project features include five travel lanes—two in each direction and a continuous left-turn lane in the center—as well as 8-foot shoulders. Workers also added a traffic signal at the Southwest Parkway intersection, built dual left-turn lanes from Hwy. 71 to Southwest Parkway, raised the road and widened shoulders.

Timeline: summer 2014-summer 2016 Cost: $15.9 million Funding sources: TxDOT 

oltorf street/i-35 interchange reconstruction[/caption]

2. Oltorf street/i-35 interchange reconstruction

TxDOT is holding a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 7 for its project to reconstruct the Oltorf Street interchange at I-35 from south of Woodland Avenue to Woodward Street. As part of TxDOT’s Mobility35 initiative, the project improvements include the reconstruction of the Oltorf bridge, improved entrance/exit ramps and frontage roads, new extended entrance/exit lanes for main lanes and ramps, new northbound and southbound U-turns, and updated bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Timeline: September 2016-spring 2019 Cost: $42.6 million Funding sources: TxDOT

3. Bicycle/pedestrian bridge on Loop 1

Construction is wrapping up on a bicycle and pedestrian bridge slated to be open in winter on Loop 1. Partnering with the city of Austin, TxDOT is constructing the bridge, which has a shared-use path along northbound Loop 1 lanes over the Barton Creek Greenbelt from one frontage road turnaround to the other near Loop 1’s intersections with Southwest Parkway and Loop 360. Remaining work includes abutment work.

Timeline: February 2014-winter 2016/2017 Cost: $7.7 million Funding sources: TxDOT, city of Austin

South Congress Avenue expansion and upgrades[/caption]

4. South Congress Avenue expansion and upgrades

In late July, the completed updates on South Congress Avenue from Eberhart Lane to Foremost Drive were opened to drivers. TxDOT widened the three-lane road to five lanes with a 13-foot continuous center turn lane, 5-foot bicycle lanes  and a 6-foot sidewalk on both sides of the roadway. The contractor will continue working to finish additional sidewalk and driveway work in August with some overnight lane closures expected. Full completion of the project is expected to occur later this summer.

Timeline: October 2014-summer 2016 Cost: $6.3 million Funding sources: TxDOT