Lady Bird Lake Segment (Holly Street to SH 71/Ben White Boulevard)
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Lady Bird Lake Segment (Holly Street to SH 71/Ben White Boulevard)

I-35 Capital Express Central Project

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I-35 at Lady Bird Lake looking toward downtown in Austin, Texas and showing the current pedestrian path that is connected to the LBL bridge.
Lady Bird Lake - Now
Rendering looking north of the east pedestrian bridge along I-35 at Lady Bird Lake. The bridge will be seperate from the roadway and feature pedestrain amenities (seating, shade, etc.)
Lady Bird Lake - After
What to expect
Lane closure information
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Segment overview

The project will add two high-occupancy-vehicle managed lanes in both directions, reconstruct Lady Bird Lake bridge and build a single-point urban interchange at Riverside Drive. It will enhance safety and connectivity with a pedestrian-only bridge at Woodland Avenue, bike and pedestrian paths along the corridor and will accommodate future Capital Metro routes.

Major impacts/activity

  • Eastbound Riverside Drive reduced to one lane between the southbound I-35 frontage road and Travis Heights Boulevard through early 2026, weather permitting.
  • Kenwood Avenue at Riverside Drive will be closed through early 2026, weather permitting. Drivers will detour via Travis Heights Boulevard to access East Riverside Drive.
  • East Avenue between the southbound I-35 frontage road and Nash Hernandez Senior Road will be closed through early 2026, weather permitting.
  • The northbound I-35 Riverside Drive entrance ramp and exit (233) is permanently closed as crews prepare for the reconstruction of Lady Bird Lake bridge. A new temporary northbound I-35 Holly Street exit (234A) is now open. Northbound I-35 traffic can use the Woodland Avenue exit (232B) or Cesar Chavez Street exit (234B) to access the frontage road. Northbound I-35 frontage road traffic can access the I-35 mainlanes via the Oltorf Street or Cesar Chavez Street entrance ramps.
  • Access to the northbound I-35 frontage road just north of Riverside Drive will be closed through 2029. Drivers on the northbound I-35 frontage road will use the Riverside Drive bypass lane to continue north on the frontage road. Drivers on Riverside Drive will use the southbound I-35 frontage road to U-turn at Woodland Avenue and take the Riverside Drive bypass lane to access the northbound I-35 frontage road. Pedestrians will use the existing west pedestrian sidewalk on the southbound I-35 frontage road bridge to cross the Colorado River. In addition, temporary pedestrian signals have been installed on Riverside Drive at Manlove Street (east of I-35) and Edgecliff Terrace (west of I-35) to cross Riverside Drive.
Map: CapEx Central Lady Bird Lake Bridge: Northbound I-35 Frontage Road Access Change. This is a moderately complex navigation and traffic‑movement map of access changes at the northbound I-35 frontage road just north of Riverside Drive as part of the I‑35 Capital Express Central project. The map covers I‑35 between Woodland Avenue and Holly Street and shows Riverside Drive, the I‑35 mainlanes and frontage roads, and detour routing northbound frontage road traffic to a Riverside Drive bypass lane to continue north. Northbound frontage road traffic across the Lady Bird Lake bridge will be reduced to one lane. The legend indicates the northbound I-35 frontage road access and pedestrian access. The map shows that the northbound I-35 frontage road is closed to through traffic at Riverside Drive. Woodland Avenue is closed to through traffic under I‑35; drivers traveling northbound on the frontage road will need to use a new Riverside Drive bypass; drivers traveling eastbound or westbound on Riverside Drive must use the southbound I-35 frontage road and U-turn at Woodland Avenue and take the bypass lane;  pedestrians crossing I‑35 at Riverside Drive can use new temporary pedestrian signals; pedestrians crossing Lady Bird Lake can use the west pedestrian sidewalk on the southbound I-35 frontage road bridge; pedestrians crossing I-35 at Riverside Drive can use the south sidewalk. For any questions, assistance, or more information, please contact c a p i t a l e x p r e s s c e n t r a l @ t x d o t .gov. Preliminary, subject to change.
  • Woodland Avenue under I-35 will be closed and crews will construct temporary U-turns in both directions at the intersection. Eastbound traffic on Woodland Avenue will turn right onto the southbound I-35 frontage road, use the Oltorf Street U-turn, and then return to Woodland Avenue. Westbound traffic on Woodland Avenue will turn right onto the northbound I-35 frontage road, use the signalized intersection at Riverside Drive to travel south on the frontage road, and reconnect with Woodland Avenue. Pedestrians will detour to nearby cross-streets.
Map showing a traffic access change at Woodland Avenue and I-35 as part of the I-35 Capital Express Central project. The map covers I-35 between Riverside Drive and Oltorf Street. Woodland Avenue is closed to through traffic under I-35. Crews will be constructing a south-to-north and north-to-south U-turn at Woodland Avenue. Driver trying to travel eastbound or westbound along Woodland Avenue are rerouted using the I-35 frontage roads with U-turns at Oltorf Street and Riverside Drive. Pedestrians crossing I-35 at Woodland Avenue are redirected to the Oltorf Street bridge.

Trail impacts/activity

  • Crews opened a temporary trail detour along the north shore of Lady Bird Lake, just west of I-35. This detour will be in place through 2033.
  • Pedestrian boardwalk ramp along the northbound I-35 frontage road at Riverside Drive will be closed through 2029. The staircase and boardwalk will remain open outside of intermittent closures for construction activities. Other access points to the boardwalk will be available from nearby locations, including South Lakeshore Boulevard east of I-35 and the trail entrance west of I-35.
Map: I‑35 Capital Express Central Project: Pedestrian Boardwalk Ramp Closed at I-35. This is a simple navigation and traffic‑movement map of access changes at the boardwalk ramp. The map covers I‑35 between Summit Street and Nash Hernandez Senior Road and shows Riverside Drive, the I‑35 mainlanes and frontage roads, and closure of the boardwalk ramp with staircase access open and alternative trail access. The legend indicates pedestrian access, boardwalk ramp closed, existing trail, existing staircase. The boardwalk switchback will be closed but pedestrians will still have access with stairs and other trail points. For any questions, assistance, or more information, please contact c a p i t a l e x p r e s s c e n t r a l @ t x d o t .gov. Preliminary, subject to change.
  • Waterway traffic under the I-35 bridge will be limited to a 75-foot-wide passage under the center portion of the bridge and away from work zones through 2033 to maintain user safety.
Map facing east showing the Lady Bird Lake waterway near the I-35 Lady Bird Lake Bridge. A 75-foot open passage in the middle of the bridge allows waterway users to travel east–west underneath the bridge. Restricted construction zones are located on both sides of the open passage and on both sides of the bridge, with no-wake zones beyond them. The traffic pattern on both sides of I-35 will remain in place through 2033.
  • The parking lot under the I-35 bridge will be closed through 2033. Pedestrian access will be maintained under the bridge.
Lady Bird Lake North Shore Access Changes

Schedule

  • Construction start: early 2025
  • Anticipated construction completion: 2033, weather permitting

Contractor

  • Balfour Beatty Construction

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