Nathan Bernier

TxDOT tells Austin to sign boardwalk deal or lose $25 million Construction on the boardwalk has not begun. Public records show the project has been slowed by behind-the-scenes disputes over who would control the money.

TxDOT is warning Austin's City Council: approve the deal for a $25 million boardwalk on Lady Bird Lake or the money disappears.

Almost three years after the boardwalk was announced, construction hasn't even started.

Internal emails obtained by KUT News help explain why.
www.kut.org/transportati...

Double-decker highway coming to South Austin Construction is scheduled to start early next year on an I-35 expansion project stretching from Ben White Boulevard almost to the Hays County line.

A bit of background on the new double-decker highway:

www.kut.org/transportati...

More details on detours in this press release from TxDOT.

MAJOR I-35 CLOSURE THIS WEEKEND:

The northbound mainlanes of I-35 will be closed from Slaughter Lane to Ben White Boulevard — four miles — on Friday night and Saturday night, lasting from about 11 p.m. till 9 or 10 a.m.

This is for construction work on the new elevated lanes.

As of 8:25 a.m., no wait to vote and a smooth process at this polling location at 8601 South 1st Street in Austin.

Austin Police doubled the number of speeding tickets after a lag in enforcement Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis set out to make roads safer when she started the job in 2024. Since then, she has focused on increasing traffic enforcement, a trend people are beginning to notice while...

Tickets for speeding and distracted driving have more than doubled in Austin since 2024, according to city data.

KUT’s Luz Moreno Lozano reports APD is putting more emphasis on traffic enforcement.

www.kut.org/austin/2026-...

Austin removes colorful crosswalks after feds terminate safety study The three crossings were part of a federal study, originally scheduled to run through 2026, on how creative crosswalks affect pedestrian safety.

Austin removed three federally approved experimental crosswalks this week after the FHWA terminated a safety study.

The FHWA said the colorful crosswalks posed "safety concerns."

We obtained the city's report to Washington showing results were mixed.

www.kut.org/transportati...

NEW: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport says it had 21,666,852 departing and arriving passengers last year, the third-highest total on record.

Texas set to ban smokable cannabis as soon as Jan. 25 The Department of State Health Services is considering new rules for the Texas hemp industry that would require child-resistant packaging, stronger warning labels, sharply higher fees and effectively ...

Smokable cannabis remains legal in Texas for now.

Today, a spokesperson with the Department of State Health Services said they received hundreds of public comments on the proposed rule, and they’re still reviewing them.

Background: www.kut.org/politics/202...

Behind those walls along I-35, TxDOT is building one of the largest tunnels Austin's ever seen Lowering a highway in flash flood alley comes with obvious risks. So TxDOT's building a drainage tunnel wide enough to drive a semi-truck through it.

The Cesar Chavez on-ramp was closed in July 2025 so TxDOT could excavate a drop shaft for a massive drainage tunnel under the highway and Cesar Chavez.

Starting Monday, they'll begin work on their ninth drop shaft at Edgewood.

More details about the tunnel here: www.kut.org/transportati...

TxDOT says the ramp closures starting Sunday, Feb. 1 are for work to rebuild the I-35 bridges over Lady Bird Lake.

They've said they'll keep at least three lanes open in each direction during construction.

mailchi.mp/mobility35/m...

MAJOR I-35 RAMP CLOSURE: Starting Sunday, the northbound I-35 exit at Riverside Drive and the northbound Holly Street entrance ramp and exit will permanently close.

Detour: Woodland exit.

In early February, the northbound I-35 entrance ramp at Cesar Chavez will reopen.

A new flyover ramp opens Saturday connecting the northbound MoPac toll lane with the new toll lanes on northbound U.S 183.

CTRMA says the southbound toll lanes on 183 North should open in late-February or early-March, weather permitting.

Tap-to-pay now available on all CapMetro buses The service took longer to roll out than expected, but it makes boarding a bus as easy as tapping your card or phone. Fare capping means you won't pay more than the cost of a day pass in a single day.

CapMetro confirms ALL its buses now have Tap-to-Pay.

Feb. 1 is the date they’ll “officially launch” the new service and start promoting/marketing it.

But you can pay with your phone or credit card now and get daily fare capping.

www.kut.org/transportati...

This page lists traffic crashes reported to police, updated every five minutes.

services.austintexas.gov/qact/default...

TxDOT has a traffic camera map, too.

its.txdot.gov/its/District...

Reminder you can get a live look at Austin road conditions using the city's traffic cam map.

data.mobility.austin.gov/traffic-came...

Austin police say they received reports of 67 car crashes from noon yesterday to 9 a.m. this morning.

NEW: CapMetro will have delayed start Monday with limited service beginning at noon, Mayor Watson says.

- First trains will leave Lakeline at 12:22 pm and downtown Austin at 12:29
- Access trips start at noon
- All Pickup zones will run except Lago Vista
- No Bikeshare

At ABIA, one of two runways is closed (West runway 18R/36L) so they can focus snow removal on a single runway. They use trucks retrofitted with plows.

ABIA deputy chief Sam Haynes confirms 115 departing flight cancelations and 87 arriving flight cancellations.

UT, Austin ISD cancel classes Monday as icy roads remain treacherous Officials are sharing updates during an 11:30 a.m. virtual briefing after sleet blanketed the Austin area.

We're continuously updating this post throughout the day with this information and lots more:

www.kut.org/energy-envir...

More than 200 cancelations today at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to FlightAware.

www.flightaware.com/live/cancell...

UT, Austin ISD cancel classes Monday as icy roads remain treacherous Officials are sharing updates during an 11:30 a.m. virtual briefing after sleet blanketed the Austin area.

Mayor Kirk Watson confirms the man found dead at a Shell station at I-35 and 38 1/2 Street died from exposure to the cold.

www.kut.org/energy-envir...

NEW: CapMetro will have delayed start Monday with limited service beginning at noon, Mayor Watson says.

- First trains will leave Lakeline at 12:22 pm and downtown Austin at 12:29
- Access trips start at noon
- All Pickup zones will run except Lago Vista
- No Bikeshare

BREAKING: AISD is canceling school Monday, along with many other area school districts and colleges including UT-Austin.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is expected to stay open throughout the winter weather, deputy chief Sam Haynes says.

They'll have staff saying at ABIA overnight so they don't have to drive to work in the ice.

CapMetro will make decision mid-morning Saturday about Sunday service, and likely a decision Sunday about Monday, CEO Watkins says.

Reporter: Should people open cabinets and drip faucets?

Austin Water director Shay Ralls Roalson says yes to opening cabinets. "You can drip if needed ... on the faucet that's farthest from your water meter."

Austin Energy General Manager Stuart Reilly: "We are the most prepared that we've ever been for a winter storm. ... There could still be outages," ERCOT says it should have enough power to meet demand, but ice accumulation could damage equipement and electrical wires, he said.

The city will keep treating roads with ice-melting compounds during the freezing rain, Austin TPW director Richard Mendoza says.

"That's not to say, even thought a roadway is treated you will not encounter ice," Mendoza said. Report icy road patches to 311.