Major Road Detours Coming

Construction will close down portions of two major roadways in the Austin metro during the next several weeks.

The first detours will start Monday for northbound lanes at Oltorf.

Work teams spent most of Monday preparing to close off the I-35 overpass at Oltorf. Northbound lanes on the interstate will be shutdown during the overnight hours, Monday and Tuesday, from 10pm until 5 in the morning.

Southbound lanes will be closed during the same time period Wednesday and Thursday. Traffic will move to frontage lanes so construction cranes can safely lift and place the new bridge beams.

"Obviously they need time to set these beams, it’s pretty significant work, so in order to protect the traveling public, we've got to get them out form the danger zone,” said TX DOT Spokesperson Diann Hodges.

East/West traffic will not be allowed on the bridge during the late night operation. Drivers will have to use the overpasses on Woodward St or Woodland Ave as detours.

"I’m hoping it’s going to make a difference, stuff like that, I mean, once you get to traffic it starts to get pretty bad, so I’m hoping in the long run it’s going to make a difference,” said local driver Anthony Chicon.

The bridge and the interstate will be open for the morning and evening rush hours. While this part of the $40-million project should be done by Friday, work on the entire re-design is expected to run into spring of 2019.

As the Oltorf closure begins another construction detour is about to end. The SB ramps and frontage lanes between 51st and Airport will soon reopen. They were closed as part of a project to build a big Round-About.

"Starting Monday, October 30th, our new airport exit ramp will open and you will actually exit for airport before 51st street, but you are actually going to bypass 51st St signal and take a bypass lane that will take you past that signal and on to airport,” said Hodges.

The 51st Round-About will be the first of its kind along I-35 through the Austin metro area. Work is scheduled to wrap up on it by this coming spring.

Working Coming to Round Rock too:

The I-35 construction headaches are far from over. Those driving through Round Rock are about to get hit again. Demo work on the Old Settlers bridge starts Friday, requiring lane closures and detours there.

MoPac Has Lane Closures:

The CTRMA issued the following information Monday;

Lane and Ramp Closures Monday evening October 23rd

From 8pm to 5am, the right and exit lane of Southbound MoPac will be closed from Parmer Lane to US-183.

The right and middle lane will also be closed overnight from RM-2222 to 35th Street. The left lane from 35th Street to Lake Austin Boulevard will be closed overnight, as well.

The following Southbound ramps will be closed:

Steck Avenue on-ramp
RM-2222 on-ramp
45th Street on-ramp
35th Street off-ramp
Westover Road on-ramp
Enfield Road off-ramp
Starting at 10pm, the Northbound right lane will be closed from Enfield Road to Windsor Road. The right and middle lane will be closed from Windsor Road to Hancock Drive. The left and middle lane will be closed from RM-2222 to the Express Lane Entrance, also.

The following Northbound ramps will be closed:

Windsor Road off and on-ramps
Westover Road off and on-ramps
45th Street off and on-ramps