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Austin is ready to embark on a year-long experiment alongside a bustling half-mile stretch of Barton Springs Highway, an space greatest recognized for native eating places like Chuy’s, Child Acapulco, Juiceland, Juliet Italian Kitchen and Inexperienced Mesquite BBQ.
The town hopes to reinforce security by lowering the variety of automobile lanes from two to 1 in every course between South Lamar Boulevard and Azie Morton Highway. The development probably will not be finished till late October or early November. Then, the clock will begin ticking on the 12-month trial interval.
![An illustrated cross-section showing the before and after of Barton Springs Road. The before image shows two car lanes in each direction with a center median and sidewalks on both sides. The after image shows one car lane in each direction, a buffer for bike lanes, a bike lane in each direction and a sidewalk in each direction.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/819bc0a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/812x630+0+0/resize/880x683!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb5%2Fc2%2F14ab6a2a4475b1e3f762625d14d1%2Fscreen-shot-2023-07-19-at-5.48.16%20PM.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
Current bike lanes, demarcated by a single white lane, might be expanded and partially protected with a mixture of flex posts and Zicla barriers, low-lying plastic dividers in regards to the dimension of an armadillo made by a Spanish firm of the identical identify.
![An illustration showing the Zicla barriers installed between a bike land and a car lane. The zebra-striped bumps are about the size and shape of an armadillo.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ec5ccd9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/905x419+0+0/resize/880x407!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6f%2Fe9%2Fd6d1b8fe42388978f486ef0b5e28%2Fscreen-shot-2023-07-20-at-2.52.44%20PM.png)
“It is clearly a extremely popular space,” stated Lewis Leff with Austin’s Transportation and Public Works Division. “In case you’ve ever been there on a Saturday night time, you see a complete lot of individuals on a really cramped sidewalk and a really substandard bike facility.”
The town invited the general public to share their thoughts on the pilot undertaking. The consensus amongst supporters was clear: Barton Springs Highway must be safer for pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders.
These opposing the undertaking, nonetheless, raised issues about potential site visitors congestion. They worry that lowering lanes might end in gridlock on an important artery that feeds into MoPac.
To assist perceive the specifics of this transformative undertaking, we’ll take a step-by-step tour, beginning at South Lamar Boulevard and heading westward.
At South Lamar, Barton Springs Highway retains its present variety of eastbound lanes. Metropolis site visitors engineers imagine it will assist forestall a backlog of automobiles.
![An overhead schematic showing how Barton Springs Road eastbound would keep the same number of car lanes at South Lamar Boulevard. Cyclists would still have cars turning right on South Lamar passing over their dedicated lane.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f7f64e6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1223x765+0+0/resize/880x550!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F53%2Fb8%2F5024d056425aa86999b272a964e2%2Fscreen-shot-2023-07-20-at-3.34.43%20PM.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
The aerial view beneath paints a clearer image of Barton Springs Highway eastbound: two left flip lanes, two straight lanes and one proper flip lane. For these on bikes or scooters, navigating by means of this stretch will nonetheless require a cautious dance with automobiles veering proper onto South Lamar.
Venturing additional west, the street morphs. Close to Josephine Road, the place the Barton Springs Saloon and Inexperienced Mesquite BBQ are positioned, Barton Springs Highway westbound maintains two automobile lanes for a number of yards earlier than tapering right into a single lane. Right here, the bike lane would widen.
![An overhead schematic showing Barton Springs Road at Josephine Street](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5fceab8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1061x532+0+0/resize/880x441!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb3%2Fe0%2Fa7c2548e4abb9549f118f75d8505%2Fscreen-shot-2023-07-20-at-3.38.47%20PM.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
As we proceed westward, Barton Springs Highway eastbound shifts from a single lane to 2 lanes simply earlier than Jessie Road, dwelling to Juliet Italian Kitchen and Thom’s Market.
![An overhead schematic illustration showing Barton Springs Road eastbound widening from one lane to two well west of Jessi Street.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f5ccabe/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1153x684+0+0/resize/880x522!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc0%2F0c%2Fb2e0b05d490cabc5aa78ece3447e%2F3.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
Past the Pecan Grove RV Park, Barton Springs Highway switches to a single-car lane in every course. Drivers can execute U-turns at Kinney Avenue, near the brand new bus cease taking form on the southwest facet of the intersection, proper outdoors Kava Bar.
![An aerial schematic showing Barton Springs Road at Kinney Street.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9ea08fa/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1242x679+0+0/resize/880x481!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9c%2Fef%2F28346556408d8b96a8a851692631%2F4.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
Newly constructed obstacles to stop vehicles leaving The Picnic meals truck park from turning left will keep. Drivers heading eastbound will nonetheless be capable of pull into the meals truck park.
![An aerial schematic showing the configuration of Barton Springs Road near the Piknik Food Truck Park](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0b3bc0d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/963x668+0+0/resize/880x610!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F79%2Fe7%2F4c5e232849ec8afd2b407973cf89%2Fscreen-shot-2023-07-20-at-3.46.21%20PM.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
Nearing Barton Creek Highway and Barton Boulevard, crews on Thursday had been laying bricks for a brand new Capital Metro bus cease. The cease may have a shelter and a bench. The town’s aim is to put in two bus stops this week and two subsequent week.
![A man wearing a construction hat is laying gray bricks on the pavement. He's wearing a reflective vest and his fingers are covered in dust. Behind him, other men in reflective vests work on other parts of the bus pad.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ba1b234/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x3024+0+0/resize/880x660!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fed%2F05%2F8145f6374a0ba52256fbe2077738%2Fimg-3605.jpg)
Throughout the road, one other bus cease might be shifted away from the street to maintain CapMetro buses from blocking westbound site visitors after they pull over to choose up passengers.
The No. 30 Barton Creek/Bull Creek route is the one bus route touring down Barton Springs Highway. It operates each 35 minutes throughout peak hours.
![An overhead schematic view showing Barton Springs Road at Barton Boulevard.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/af8fa73/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1095x763+0+0/resize/880x613!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fee%2F37%2F71721dc344f5b094d6c94b45b451%2F6.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
Between Barton Boulevard and Azie Morton Highway, eastbound Barton Springs Highway will introduce a left-turn lane for vehicles aspiring to enterprise south down Azie Morton. On the westbound facet, the street narrows from two lanes to 1 after the Barton Springs Highway Bridge. The brand new configuration will enable the pedestrian crossing over Barton Springs Highway to be shortened.
![An overhead schematic view of Barton Springs Road just east of Azie Morton Road](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/94ad38f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1341x727+0+0/resize/880x477!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F75%2F8b%2F5129a3234cf692f8c9f9516a4901%2F8.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
Proper now, that space has two automobile lanes in every course and an unprotected bike lane on each side of the street.
Past Azie Morton Highway, the Barton Creek Bridge may have two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane. The protected bike paths will proceed into Zilker Park.
![An overhead schematic of Barton Springs Road Bridge](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1329165/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1315x740+0+0/resize/880x495!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6f%2Ff1%2Fcc9366fc4809ace1aad50cef3c8a%2F9.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
The site visitors sample shifts west of Lou Neff Highway, reverting again to 2 automobile lanes in every course.
![An overhead schematic of Barton Springs Road at Lou Neff](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/72b1daf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1153x618+0+0/resize/880x472!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa5%2F45%2F826cf4b849699e24743c13227e08%2F10.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
Lastly, towards William Barton Drive, bus stops might be upgraded whereas bike paths weave behind them.
![An overhead schematic of Barton Springs Road at Willam Barton Drive](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4b1fe14/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1290x787+0+0/resize/880x537!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F80%2Fd1%2Fcecb49b545399692f33edbc56b5b%2Fscreen-shot-2023-07-20-at-4.07.15%20PM.png)
Transportation and Public Works Division
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Metropolis of Austin
The undertaking’s development might be delayed by one among Austin’s landmark occasions. The Austin Metropolis Limits Music Competition — an annual occasion that transforms Zilker Park right into a mecca for music lovers throughout the first two weekends in October — will power a pause within the work beginning in mid-September, when ACL loading vans rumble into the park.
By the point ACL begins, if all goes in keeping with plan, Barton Springs Highway may have a recent layer of asphalt and new lane markings. After ACL, crews will add the ending touches, together with the flex posts and Zicla obstacles for the bike lanes. That is when the street might be decreased to 1 automobile lane in every course.
After the 12-month trial section begins in late October or early November of this yr, town says it’ll carefully monitor the influence of the modifications.
An replace is due six months in, and by November 2024, a choice should be made: Preserve the modifications or revert again.
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