SH 71 to I-35 flyover closures continue in South Austin

Construction work by the Texas Department of Transportation continues this week on the SH 71/Ben White Boulevard to I-35 flyovers, with crews installing columns for the elevated managed lanes and applying striping.

The details

The roadwork is part of the I-35 Capital Express projects, which aim to improve safety, reduce congestion and increase mobility of the interstate. The southern portion of the project will add two high-occupancy-vehicle, or HOV, lanes in each direction along I-35 between SH 71/Ben White Boulevard and SH 45 Southeast. The project will include a southbound I-35 bypass lane for traffic to bypass Stassney Lane and William Cannon Drive. Entrance and exit ramps will be reconstructed and relocated, and pedestrian and bicycle paths will be added, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The closures began on Aug. 9 at 9 p.m., with crews closing eastbound and westbound SH 71/Ben White Boulevard to the northbound I-35 flyovers nightly through Aug. 10.

Crews will close the eastbound and westbound SH 71/Ben White Boulevard to southbound I-35 flyovers at the following times:

• Aug. 10, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Aug. 12, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

A closer look

Drivers on eastbound SH 71 will use the South Congress Avenue exit, while drivers on westbound SH 71 can utilize the Burleson Road/Woodward Street exit and turn onto the frontage road to access the I-35 main lanes. Flyovers will reopen at 6 a.m. daily, according to the release.

Additionally, from Aug. 9 at 8 p.m. to Aug. 16, northbound and southbound I-35 main lanes between Holly Street and SH 45 Southeast will have nightly land closures, with main lanes reduced to one lane in some areas and multiple entrance and exit ramps closed. All lanes will reopen each day by 6 a.m., but drivers can expect delays as they move through the work zone, according to the release.

• Timeline: 2022-late 2028
• Cost: $548 million
• Funding sources: Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, TxDOT