Hundreds of thousands of visitors are headed to Austin this week, and that means commuters may need to plan ahead to navigate through the city's core roadway system. For Austinites, the city has issued its list of upcoming street closures, and for those using public transportation throughout the festival, there are a variety of options available to help one get around town.

Getting to/from the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference

By car

Stay tuned to traffic reports for conditions heading into downtown on Austin's main highways. As always, the earlier one arrives in the morning, the easier it will be to find a parking spot near SXSW venues. For a guide on where to park downtown—and how much it will cost—check out our parking map from the City of Austin Transportation Department.

By bus

Capital Metro will add vehicles to its popular 481 Night Owl bus, as well as its 484 Lamar/South First Street bus during the SXSW Music weekend of March 16 and 17.

Route 3—the Film Fave—serves many of the theaters featured in the festival, as well as a number of hotels in the Arboretum area.

MetroAirport—Route 100—offers service every 30 minutes and serves the Riverside corridor for those going to and from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

By bike

SXSW recognizes that perhaps the easiest way to navigate one's way through downtown is by bike. The organization is now offering a bike share program to help visitors also use that convenience. The bike share program will be available from March 9–13 from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. The service is headquartered at 513 E. Cesar Chavez St. across from the Austin Convention Center.

By train

The Metro Rail offers extended service hours on Fridays and Saturdays throughout SXSW. The train departs from Fourth Street downtown—outside of the north entrance of the Austin Convention Center—and offers stops in East Austin, Central Austin, North Austin and into Cedar Park and Leander.

The group has posted its extended schedule for Fridays—March 9 and 16—and for Saturdays—March 10 and 17—on its website. Visit https://www.capmetro.org/sxsw2012.

Street closures

The City of Austin Transportation Department has released its latest version of street closures as a downloadable map (https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Transportation/Special_Events/web_sxsw_impactmap.pdf) that downtown commuters can use to avoid SXSW street closures.

The streets affected March 9–18 include:

Northbound Congress Avenue reduced to two lanes between Seventh and Eighth streets

• Reduced 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. daily from March 9–18

Rainey Street District closed between Driskill and River streets

• Closed 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily from March 10–11
• Closed 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily from March 14–19 (residential and commercial access only, parking pass required)

Trinity Street will be closed between Cesar Chavez and Fourth streets, and East Second and Third streets between Trinity and San Jacinto streets

• Closed 7 a.m. March 9 until 6 a.m. March 18 (Local, valet, shuttle traffic only)

Additional streets affected March 14–18 for the Music festival include:

• East Sixth Street closing for the event between March 14–18. However, in an effort to balance the needs between traffic mobility and those enjoying the event, East Sixth Street will be open for drivers during the peak morning hours of 5-10 a.m. March 14 and from 6-10 a.m. March 15-16. Commercial deliveries will also be allowed on Sixth and Red River streets every weekday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Additional traffic changes will be in effect from 5 a.m. March 13 to 6 a.m. March 18. Those closures include:

• All streets between Fifth and Seventh streets
• Those that intersect Sixth Street from San Jacinto Boulevard to Sabine Street

Trinity Street reduced lanes between 12th and 15th streets, and Fourth and Fifth streets

• Reduced 5 a.m. March 14 until 6 a.m. March 18

East Ninth Street reduced to two lanes between Trinity and Red River streets

• Reduced 5 a.m. March 14 until 6 a.m. March 18

East Eighth Street reduced to three lanes between I-35 and Trinity Street

• Reduced 5 a.m. March 14 until 6 a.m. March 18

Seventh Street reduced to three lanes between Brazos and Sabine streets

• Reduced 2 p.m. March 13 until 5 a.m. March 18

East Fifth Street reduced to three lanes between San Jacinto Boulevard and Trinity Street (two lanes between San Jacinto and Red River)

• Reduced 2 p.m. March 13 until 5 a.m. March 18

East Fifth Street closures between I-35 and Waller Street (intersecting streets San Marcos and Brushy between Fifth and Sixth)

• Closed 9 a.m. March 14 until 6 a.m. March 18

West Fourth Street closed between Congress Avenue and Colorado Street

• Closed 6 p.m. March 12 to 4 a.m. March 13
• Closed 2 p.m. March 15 to 4 a.m. March 16
• Closed 2 p.m. March 16 to 5 a.m. March 18

Riverside Drive closed between South First Street and traffic circle

• Closed noon to midnight daily, March 15–16
• Closed 10 a.m. to midnight March 17

Bouldin and Dawson streets closed between Barton Springs Road and Christopher Street (local traffic only)

• Closed 3 p.m. to midnight daily, March 15–16
• Closed 10 a.m. until midnight, March 17