183 North southbound express lanes, direct connector opens Feb. 28

2 min read

Published February 26, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. CTUpdated February 26, 2026

183 North southbound express lanes, direct connector opens Feb. 28

The 183 North northbound and southbound direct connectors will connect the highway to its new express lanes. The northbound express lanes and direct connector opened in January, and the southbound express lanes and direct connector will open Feb. 28. (Matthew Brooks/Community Impact)

The 183 North Mobility Project is nearly complete with the opening of new southbound express lanes and a flyover direct connection to MoPac on Feb. 28.

What you need to know

According to a news release from the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, drivers exiting the southbound express lanes have several options:

Stay in the right lane to keep going south on US 183. This will take you to Burnet Road, Payton Gin Road, Lamar Boulevard and I‑35.
Stay in the left lane if you want to go straight onto MoPac via the express lanes and the special merge lane.
On the flyover to MoPac, stay left to continue on the southbound MoPac Express Lane.
Exit right on the flyover to use the side road that runs between MoPac’s main lanes and frontage road. This lets you avoid traffic lights at Steck Avenue and Spicewood Springs Road.
- The side road will merge back onto MoPac’s southbound frontage road just past the Spicewood Springs overpass. From there, you can either keep going on the frontage road or get onto MoPac’s regular lanes via the ramp north of Far West Boulevard.

Mobility Authority officials also said the express lanes will operate using variable toll pricing, similar to the MoPac Express Lane, and that the price drivers see on the signs before entering the express lanes is the price they will pay.

Drivers will have several options to when exiting the new 183 North Express Lanes. (Rendering courtesy Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority)

Looking back

The northbound express lanes between Burnet Road and SH 45 North opened Jan. 2. The northbound direct connector, which connects the highway to the express lanes, opened Jan. 31 and spans from the MoPac express lane to the 183 express lanes.

Project background

The $612 million project broke ground in January 2022 and is being funded by the sale of toll revenue bonds and federal funding through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program.

According to the Mobility Authority, by 2035 drivers could see nine‑minute trips using the toll lanes, morning commutes on the regular lanes cut by 24 minutes, and evening commutes on the regular lanes shortened by 16 minutes.