Walk This Way

New I-35 construction over Lady Bird Lake to impact some parks access

The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and Boardwalk will be subject to temporary closures, but never more than 15 days per year.

The Trail Conservancy/Facebook

Whatever anxiety or optimism locals have about Interstate 35 expansions, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) presses on. That includes the Capital Express Central project, scheduled in segments between now and 2033, and specifically the Lady Bird Lake Segment, running from August 10, 2025, to an expected end in 2031. A city newsletter sent August 5 details how construction will affect civilian access to parks.

The Lady Bird Lake Segment stretches between Holly Street — the east-to-west street that marks the southern boundary of East Austin's Sanchez Elementary School — to State Highway 71 and the adjacent Ben White Boulevard. That means, as the name suggests, this segment crosses over from North to South Austin, covering roughly three and a quarter miles of road.

The project will entail detours, limited access, and closures as the project progresses. Timelines are still tentative, so the city gives some general warnings and rules.

According to the newsletter, that will mean impact use of:

Lady Bird Lake: Parking and area closures starting August 10 and lasting through the duration of the project. ADA-accessible options will be available. Boating, paddling, and other activities may be restricted during closures of three to seven days at a time, at most three times per year. Removal of trees as needed in TxDOT's "right-of-way."
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and Boardwalk: "Rerouting and intermittent closures" on both the north and south shores. Trail closures will last three to five days at a time, and at most three times per year.
Edward Rendon Sr. Park at Festival Beach: Partial or complete closure for part or all of the construction phase. Removal of three trees in TxDOT's "right-of-way."
Waller Beach at Town Lake Metro Park: Partial or complete closure for part or all of the construction phase.
Chicano Park: Partial or complete closure for part or all of the construction phase.
Norwood Dog Park: Partial or complete closure for part or all of the construction phase.

TxDOT will provide public notifications through the City of Austin and trail signs in advance of any closures. People can sign up here to receive project updates and lane closure notifications. There's also an interactive map with live data to alert drivers of road closures.

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Transit News

Austin light rail project moves one step closer after key federal report

Austin Transit Partnership/Facebook

A rendering of Austin's proposed light rail.

Austin's slow-evolving light rail is one step closer to finally becoming a reality thanks to a federal funding recommendation, as reported by the Austin American-Statesman. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave the first phase of the project a "medium" justification rating and a "medium-high" financial commitment rating in its Annual Report on Funding Recommendations.

A light rail is a passenger train with a lighter capacity than a commuter rail, which Austin already has heading toward Leander. The first phase as presented by the Austin Transit Partnership will have 15 stops at places like the airport, Pleasant Valley, South Congress, Cesar Chavez, the University of Texas, and as far north as Crestview (bounded by Burnet Road, West Anderson Road, and North Lamar Boulevard). It will also add a bridge over Lady Bird Lake.

The FTA report broke the project up into categories that each got their own confidence rating. For the justification rating, the highest-rated aspect of the light rail were congestion relief and economic development, both receiving a "medium-high" rating. The portion that inspired the least confidence was cost effectiveness, which was given a "low" rating. Environmental benefits, mobility improvements, and land use were all rated as "medium."

The overall medium-high rating means that the project is on track to receive funds from the Capital Investments Grants (CIG) Program, "the Federal Government’s primary financial resource for supporting transit capital projects that are locally planned, implemented, and operated," as the document explains it. The CIG Program would cover 49.4 percent of the light rail's Phase 1 work.

Altogether, the project is expected to cost $7.1 billion and start construction in 2027. The current timeline has the system opening to the public in 2033.

Austin's transit landscape is in a state of flux that some people are pulling forward and others are pushing against. Since mid-November, Austin's CapMetro has approved a plan through 2035 that will add six new lines and punch up more than 40 others, as well as asked the public for input on four options for cap-and-stitch designs (public gathering places) over Interstate 35.

federal funds light rail transit civic issues grants finance