As of this week, heavy vehicles traveling eastbound across the Barton Springs Road Bridge will be required to stay in the far right lane in an effort to extend the life of the bridge. The decision to limit options for heavier traffic, including buses, was made after the most recent inspection of the bridge, which […]
Transportation and Public Works Department
Posted inTransportation
Commission looks into how Austin creates street crossings
There’s a simple explanation for why Austinites may have noticed more signaled crosswalks in recent years: There are more. A recent discussion on the state of pedestrian hybrid beacons in the city caught up Urban Transportation Commission members on the state of their progress last week. The city didn’t have tools to help people cross […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin grapples with arrival of autonomous vehicles
Autonomous vehicles are in Austin. According to a Sept. 1 memo from the Transportation and Public Works Department, the presence of autonomous vehicles has become an increasingly common sight over the past few months. “Currently, there are approximately 125 fully electric AVs in operation and we anticipate additional vehicles in the near future,” wrote interim […]
Posted inTransportation
Disability commission pushes city to pick up pace of sidewalk improvements
Improved access to public transit and bike-share programs – possibly including free service for all residents – is among the policy moves the Transportation and Public Works Department intends to ask City Council to consider later this year. During a presentation last week to the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities, John Eastman, division manager […]
Posted inTransportation
City makes Barton Springs Road safety improvements ahead of pilot
The city recently began work on a series of safety improvements to the crash-prone stretch of Barton Springs Road between Stratford Drive – inside Zilker Park – and South Lamar Boulevard, ahead of a yearlong pilot program that has prompted a mixed response. The improvements include a reduction to one westbound lane between Azie Morton […]
Posted inRoads
Get ready for downtown street closures
Richard Mendoza, interim director of the Transportation and Public Works Department, notified City Council via memo of some major street closures that are likely to affect anyone traveling through downtown for the next month. It’s another reminder in the busy district of how Austin continues to add residents, regardless of what is happening in other […]