East Austin transportation projects: What to know about Capital Metro Red Line, I-35 construction

Major transportation projects are reshaping East Austin, from Capital Metro's planned Red Line improvements along East Fifth Street to multiple phases of the I-35 Capital Express Central Project. Here's the latest on timelines, costs, and what drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians can expect.

Upcoming projects

Capital Metro Red Line Plaza Saltillo/East 5th St.

Project: Capital Metro is improving its Red Line—a commuter rail service that connects north Austin with downtown—by doubling approximately one mile of E. Fifth St. between Attayac and Matamoros streets, enhancing E Fifth St. between Navasota and Robert T. Martinez streets, adding a second platform to the Plaza Saltillo Station and upgrading the adjacent bike trail.

Update: Design is complete as of March 10. A construction timeline has not been established, according to the project website.

• Timeline: early 2027-spring 2029
• Cost: $18 million
• Funding source: Federal RAISE grant

Project: This initiative will add two-way HOV lanes while lowering the I-35 main lanes and removing the upper decks from MLK Jr. Blvd. to Holly St. It will also build a boulevard-style frontage road, reconstruct eight east-west crossings between Cesar Chavez and 15th streets, and add pedestrian-only bridges at 3rd, 4th and 15th streets as well as bike and pedestrian paths along the corridor.

Update: Construction is anticipated to begin in 2027. The Texas Department of Transportation is bidding the work in two packages: an advanced construction package in 2027 and an ultimate package—containing the city's cap and stitch elements—in 2029.

• Timeline: 2027-2033
• Cost: included in estimated $4.5 billion I-35 CapEx budget
• Funding source: TxDOT and CAMPO

I-35 Capital Express Central Project (MLK Jr. Blvd. bridge)

Project: Crews are reconstructing and widening the south side of the bridge over I-35, adding sidewalks, shade structures and a safety barrier and rebuilding entrance and exit ramps in both directions.

Update: Two lanes are maintained in each direction plus a pedestrian sidewalk through completion in late 2026; full closures are minimal and occur at night.

• Timeline: October 2024-late 2026
• Cost: included in estimated $4.5 billion I-35 CapEx budget
• Funding source: TxDOT and CAMPO

Project: Crews are reconstructing the Lady Bird Lake bridge from Holly St. to SH 71/Ben White Blvd., adding two HOV lanes in both directions, with a single-point urban interchange planned at Riverside Drive, a pedestrian-only bridge at Woodland Ave., and bike and pedestrian paths along the corridor.

Update: Crews began reconstructing the Riverside Drive bridge over I-35 on July 15, shifting southbound frontage road traffic just north of Riverside to a bypass lane with a new temporary signal. Woodland Ave. under I-35 is permanently closed, with drivers using frontage road U-turns at Riverside Drive or Oltorf St. The east pedestrian path at Lady Bird Lake and the northern Riverside Drive sidewalk are closed. Pedestrians cross the lake on the west sidewalk of the southbound frontage road bridge using temporary signals at Manlove St. and Edgecliff Terrace, and waterway access under the bridge is limited.

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

Project: Two 22-foot-wide drainage tunnels will run 6.5 miles along I-35 from 45th St. to Cesar Chavez St., then east to near US 183 by Lady Bird Lake, with a pump station and access shafts to improve stormwater management.

Update: The southbound frontage road at River St. is closed through mid-2028, and the eastside Levander Loop pedestrian trail from just north of the Montopolis Bridge to just south of East Cesar Chavez St. is closed through 2028. The work remains on schedule with crews constructing drop shafts and tunnel boring to begin in the coming months.

• Timeline: 2025-2029
• Cost: $748 million
• Funding source: TxDOT and CAMPO