Downtown northbound MoPac lanes, on-ramp to be reconfigured this fall

The northbound lanes of MoPac and the on-ramp from Sixth and Cesar Chavez streets will be reconfigured in January to allow excavation work to build an underpass for the variable-priced toll lane project.

The lane shift was supposed to have occurred in the fall, but the dates have slipped, said Steve Pustelnyk, director of community relations for the MoPac Improvement Project.

“It will most likely be in place in the range of six to nine months, perhaps a bit longer,” he said. “We expect to have the entire underpass construction done in roughly a year or so.”

The traffic shift will be similar to how the MoPac lanes appeared before 2010 when the Texas Department of Transportation restriped MoPac to allow three main lanes to continue north on MoPac, he said. The change will only allow two main lanes for through traffic because the third lane will exit to Enfield Road, Pustelnyk said. A fourth lane exits to downtown.

“People coming north on MoPac during this situation will probably face longer travel north during rush hour,” he said. “However people coming out of downtown and entering northbound from Cesar Chavez and Sixth Street will find it easier to get on to MoPac, especially during morning rush hour.”

To make room for construction crews, the two main lanes will shift to the east, he said.

“A curve [for the main lanes] will be built with all-new temporary pavement, and that will open up an area next to the railroad tracks for excavation,” Pustelnyk said. “Because of that curve the speed limit will be slightly reduced down to 50 mph.”

The MoPac project, which is being overseen by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, will add one variable-priced toll, or express, lane in each direction between Parmer Lane and Lady Bird Lake, and construction is slated to be complete sometime in 2016. The underpass will connect the express lane into downtown Austin.

Visit www.mopacexpress.com for more information and updates on travel delays. The agency also sends out traffic and construction updates on Twitter via @improvemopac.