Dirty no more? City opts to keep Sixth Street open to traffic at all times

Beginning this weekend, the city will keep Sixth Street open to vehicular traffic on weekends, a substantial departure from decades of street closures designed to accommodate nightlife culture that saw thousands of pedestrians gather in the roadway while moving among the entertainment district’s many bars and nightclubs. City leaders announced the change at a press conference on Wednesday, saying the move is part of a broader effort to address public safety, optimize resource allocation and integrate Sixth Street into Austin’s larger urban fabric.

The decision to keep the street open permanently follows trial closures in the district in December that helped Austin police and other city departments study the patterns of use and identify the safety tactics that would need to be implemented. Sidewalks in front of bars and restaurants along the street will be widened, with protective fencing and curb stops scheduled to be installed to create an appropriate barrier between vehicles and pedestrians.

Mayor Kirk Watson said he and other decision-makers have long thought about how to improve safety throughout the district, with the matter being one of the points of discussion during the interview process for police Chief Lisa Davis.

“The truth is that our downtown, Austin’s living room for the entire community, needs a little bit of renovation and this is one element of that,” Watson said, adding that the city is pushing to make the street more welcoming to visitors during daylight hours when he said the area currently resembles “a ghost town.”

“Just like any street, any district or any neighborhood without careful attention and investment will begin to lose its luster, even at one that is as famous and storied as this one,” Watson said. “We want to create a district that’s not just connected but integrated with the rest of our downtown, and that is not how Sixth Street feels today.”

Efforts to improve safety in the Sixth Street area are not new. The district has long been a focal point for public safety concerns, including crowd control, violent incidents and emergencies requiring disproportionate resource deployment.

In 2021, the city passed the “Safer 6th Street” resolution following a series of violent incidents, including the high-profile mass shooting in June 2021 that left one person dead and 14 injured. That initiative sought to implement measures such as better lighting, enhanced camera surveillance and street design changes. In early 2022, the city acknowledged challenges in implementing some of the proposed solutions, with a staff memo from that time advocating for expanded surveillance infrastructure while advising against measures like a gun buyback program.

Davis described the previous pedestrian-only configuration as “untenable,” noting that temporary barricades were often insufficient to control crowds or prevent vehicle-related incidents. She added that the reintroduction of vehicles, alongside expanded pedestrian zones, would allow for better resource management and improve safety for both visitors and public safety personnel.

“A key part of this initiative was to develop a plan that would increase pedestrian safety, decrease the number of officers being injured and the need to respond to resistance, and then making the experience for those visiting, those who live here, who come down to Sixth Street more enjoyable,” she said. “We’re talking about 0.05 percent of the land mass in this city, and it concentrates 25 percent of our uses of force here and our officer injuries.”

Watson emphasized the importance of monitoring the changes and making adjustments, acknowledging the complexity of managing a district that serves as both a cultural hub and a public safety hot spot.

“This is not going to be something static,” Watson said. “We are prepared to monitor what’s going on and make changes as needed.”

Moving pedestrians out of the roadway adds one more change to one of the city’s signature entertainment and cultural districts, large stretches of which have been purchased by Dallas-based Stream Realty in an attempt to add restaurants, hotels and other around-the-clock usage.

Paul Bodenman, Stream’s senior vice president of investment management, said the move will lead to a more welcoming environment for new visitors to the area, which the company is calling “Old 6th” in an attempt to scrub the colloquial “Dirty Sixth” moniker from common usage.

“After years of working with other stakeholders, including the City of Austin, on how to bring 6th Street back to its historical position as Austin’s signature downtown neighborhood, Stream is excited and thankful for Mayor Watson and Chief Davis’ deep commitment to Old 6th. Expanding the sidewalks and opening the street to traffic will certainly help mitigate risk and increase the overall safety of the street.” he said. “These changes will no doubt pave the way for the restoration and growth opportunities we have all hoped for and worked towards.”

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.

Posted In: Transportation, District 9